Rekindled
by Roseblade22
Summary: Post-finale. Newly-appointed Fire Lord Zuko shoulders the burden of world-wide political reform. He and Katara begin their campaign in Ba Sing Se, where they meet many obstacles to their cause-including their growing attachment to one another.
1. The Task at Hand

**Disclaimer:** I own the rights to nothing but my story and my wicked writing skillz.

**Author's Notes: **I'M BAAAAACK! Yes, to my faithful fans and to newcomers alike, I'm not dead. Just employed, all grown up now, and very, very, very busy. I was recently ill and had to call in 5 days in a row to work and had a little time to mull over my past passion-fanfiction. I began to miss it, and one of my largest regrets is not having finished some stories that were very popular with my fans. Well, this won't solve that problem, but perhaps it can give those who miss my stories an inkling of hope: A new story, chock-full of Zutara-ness! Now, I understand that it's been years since the finale of our beloved show, but better late than never, right? Oh, and to all you Kataang fans-no offense-just don't fill up my review board with proclamations to your preferred coupling. Everyone has a different opinion, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. This is fiction, after all!

Zutara will forever live on in fanfiction! Enjoy the read-I remember my old fans with much fondness and dedicate this story to you.

**~*~ Rekindled ~*~**

Fire Lord Zuko sat modestly, his legs folded neatly beneath him, his newly formed administration glancing towards him expectantly. The firebender felt a twitch of nervousness. At seventeen years of age, Zuko was the second youngest Fire Lord in his nation's history. His record was surpassed only by Fire Lord Zei-Shong, who inherited the throne at fifteen seven generations ago. And Zuko had an enormously daunting task ahead of him—rebuild the Fire Nation's damaged reputation and restore peace throughout the world. He sighed anxiously, rubbing his fingers to his temple.

Many of these faces staring towards him were new; his father's generals and advisors had long been dismissed. Zuko's newest advisor sat at his right hand, dressed handsomely in characteristic yellow robes. The young Avatar's eyes darted towards the Fire Lord, and the two boys exchanged an uneasy, fleeting glance. Next to him sat three more colorful figures. Katara and Sokka stood out amongst the crimson decoration in their blue robes, and Toph looked like a small plant sprouting from the floor in green. Like the others, they too turned towards Zuko expectantly.

Finally, Zuko inhaled and addressed his administration. "I would like to thank you all for arriving here so quickly. I realize that my message came at an unexpected time, but—as I'm sure you all are aware of by now—our nation is most in need of your assistance."

There was a prolonged silence from the assortment of officials. Zuko frowned, but continued.

"I understand that most of you probably harbor lingering feelings of loyalty to my father and doubts about my ability to lead. Forget them now. As your new Fire Lord, I have more pressing issues to address than disloyalty in my court. Our most important initiative currently is repairing the state of our country and the rest of the world. Until that is fully achieved, your loyalty is to be shared between myself and Avatar Aang equally. You will answer to his requests as you would mine, and respond to his decisions with the upmost respect."

At this, Aang's brow furrowed in confusion. The others glanced at each other with questions in their eyes. He turned his gray eyes towards Zuko for answers, but Zuko pressed on with his speech.

"General Chu-Lin—I'm appointing you as Head of Internal Affairs temporarily. You will be in charge of informing the public about the truth of this war. You will dismiss all army personnel from duty. I want all Fire Nation schools to be closed, all of our history books to be rewritten—"

General Chu-Lin shifted uncomfortably in his place. "Fire Lord Zuko, dismissing our entire army would put our nation at risk—"

"Avatar Aang will be by your side to act as an ambassador to any outside nation," Zuko cut in firmly. "We also have representatives with us from the Water Tribes—Master Katara and Master Sokka—as well as Master Toph to represent the Earth Kingdom. Believe me, these four will be more useful than any army right now."

The other teens smiled proudly.

The General's lips tightened, but then he nodded and was silence. Fire Lord Zuko turned to his friends. "Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph…I trust you four more than anyone. I know you'll maintain order while I'm gone."

Aang blinked rapidly in surprise. "While you're—while you're gone? Gone where?"

There was a sudden uproar in the room. Administrators turned to each other and flooded each other's ears with whispers, while the teenagers gasped and looked towards the Fire Lord, questions fresh on their lips. But Zuko held up a firm hand, and in a few moments the atmosphere calmed. He turned back to Aang and the others. "I understand that it might not seem my place to leave my nation so soon after my coronation, but I feel that I must personally oversee one of the most important steps in restoring peace."

"What step? Where are you going?" Sokka inquired.

Zuko turned back to his administration. "I'm going to Ba Sing Se," he announced, and once again the room was filled with quiet discussion. "I feel my presence is needed there, especially since the Earth King is still missing and some parts of the city still under the control of rogue Dai Li agents."

After the members of the administration quieted, Toph crossed her arms and huffed. "Are you sure it's safe? You are the Fire Lord now—the Earth Kingdom's long-hated enemy—I doubt if the citizens of Ba Sing Se will welcome you with open arms."

Zuko noticed the worrisome look on his friends' faces. "I know it seems like a risk, but you forget, I lived in that city just as long as you did. I was a citizen too."

"You cannot travel alone, Fire Lord Zuko," mentioned another man in the administration—Governor Gai. He was the eldest among Zuko's council, and although he'd served the Fire Nation loyally during the War, it turned out Gai was a longtime member of the Order of the White Lotus. General Iroh had specifically recommended him for Zuko's new administration.

"I have before," Zuko explained. "Why not now?"

"You are now Fire Lord," urged the old man. "And despite your good will, the world will not change in an instant. Traveling alone is simply too dangerous. You could be attacked."

Zuko's brow furrowed slightly, and his friends could tell the young Fire Lord had taken a slight offense at that comment. "I won't argue with your logic, but I won't accept any of the current Fire Nation army as my body guard. We don't yet know who can be trusted."

"I agree completely, Fire Lord Zuko," breathed General Gai. "Which is why I would suggest you take one of your friends here." The old man gestured towards the others seated to Zuko's right.

Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph all exchanged glances of surprise and realization.

"I suppose…" Aang began, "…that bringing one of use would be a good idea. You can trust us, right?"

Zuko smiled. "Right. But which one of you wants to come?"

"I'm the Avatar—bringing peace to Ba Sing Se is my job too." Aang announced. "I'll come with you."

"You can't," Zuko shook his head. "I need you here, Aang, to stand in my place while I'm gone. "

"Oh. I understand." Aang hung his head, then glanced up. "Who will you bring then?"

Sokka's face suddenly beamed, and the teenage warrior sprung up, balancing on his crutches. "I'll go!" He shouted. "Go back to Ba Sing Se, do a little sight-seeing, and meet more of the local ladies…"

"Sorry, Sokka—but you won't be much protection in your current condition." Zuko pointed out, his eyes darting towards Sokka's bandaged leg.

The other boy drooped. "What? I'm as formidable as ever!"

"No offense, but you were hardly formidable at all—even before you hurt yourself!" Toph added with a giggle.

"Oh yeah?" challenged Sokka, "Well, if you're so powerful, why don't you go?"

The tiny earthbender made a disapproving face and turned away. "No way! The last adventure I went on with Zuko was sooo boring!"

"Thanks," Zuko cut in.

"Hey, I'm just saying—"

"So I guess that leaves me," Katara interrupted, standing and addressing the rest of the room. "I'll go with Zuko to Ba Sing Se."

Zuko blinked in surprise, but then smiled warmly at the waterbender. "I suppose we do make a good team."

Katara nodded and returned the expression. Out of the corner of her eye she spied Aang glance at her, then at Zuko, then back again with an unpleasant, unsettled expression. She yanked her gaze away from both boys, frowning slightly only for a moment, but then sat back down next to Aang. He granted him a reassuring smile, and the Avatar's nervousness seemed to calm.

"But, Katara—" Sokka began.

"We'll be safe, Sokka." Katara insisted. "Besides, it makes sense. Zuko and I have worked as a team before and we do it well. This way, Aang still can stay here to oversee the reconstruction of the Fire Nation, and we still have you and Toph to represent the Water and Earth Nations."

"It does seem to be the most logical match," Aang muttered softly.

"Then we'll leave tomorrow morning," Zuko announced, his voice echoing throughout the large corridor. "I want to travel quickly, so why don't we resurrect one of those war balloons from my father's fleet?"

"We won't run into many outlaws or bandits in the air either," Katara agreed.

"Good point." The Fire Lord glanced downward. "I'm unsure how long this mission to reconstruct Ba Sing Se will take, but I'll have the assistance of the Order of the White Lotus and my uncle. Even if my presence only jump-starts a chance, I can count on them to keep it going until the corrupting influence has ended."

Zuko turned towards General Chu-Lin and Governor Pao. "You two shall receive a messenger hawk once every week, carrying a detailed record of the city's vitals and any changes we have made. Understood?"

"Yes, Fire Lord Zuko."

"Good." The firebender turned once more towards his friends, smiled, and then stood up. Following his lead, the teenagers and the members of the administrators lifted to their feet as well. "This meeting is adjourned."

Zuko bowed politely; his council mimicked the gesture and began to file out. With the exception of Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph. The four teens stood, stretched, and all turned to Zuko expectantly. The Fire Lord gawked at them awkwardly for a moment.

"What are you all staring at me for?" He asked with the slightest air of annoyance.

The others exchanged looks. "You're the Fire Lord now," explained Sokka. "We're kind of awaiting your orders."

"I'm not any different than before," Zuko insisted, reaching up and fingering the golden flame that adorned his hair. He frowned, then added: "And besides, I'm not going to order you around like my tyrannical father."

"We never said you were anything like your father, Zuko." Katara said kindly.

Zuko glanced up at the waterbender, secretly thanking her for her constant reassurance. It was really amazing how Katara's demeanor imitated her bending. Just as water was the element of healing, Katara's words had certain abilities to sooth the mind. Zuko definitely felt glad that the waterbender was the one voted to accompany him to Ba Sing Se. A smile slowly crept up his face again.

"It's late," Katara continued, facing the rest of their group. "If we're leaving in the morning, we should get some rest first."

Toph stretched and yawned obviously. "I like that plan!"

"Very well," Zuko breathed. "I'll see you all in the morning."

The teenagers slowly filed out of the court, weaving their ways towards their chambers. Katara wandered curiously, gazing at the parts of the Fire Nation palace she hadn't explored yet. There were elegant pillars, majestic carvings, delicately woven tapestries, and gorgeous gardens sprawling over several acres. It was all very beautiful, and it made Katara reluctant to believe that some of the most terrible people in the world's history grew up here.

_Thankfully_, Katara thought, _Zuko isn't one of those people_.

Sighing, the waterbender turned back towards her chamber. Stepping around a corner, she spied the elegantly arched doorway to her bedroom. Suddenly Katara paused, and then pressed against the far wall, hiding herself.

_She heard footsteps_.

The footsteps grew gradually louder, and finally a figure appeared, clad in crimson, and paused in front of her bedroom door. Katara gasped. It was Zuko.

_What is he doing here?_ Katara thought to herself. Then an afterthought: _Why am I still hiding? It's not like Zuko's an enemy anymore. _

Still, it was weird that Zuko was lurking around her bedroom door in the middle of the night. Katara stepped out from her hiding place carefully, hardly making a sound. She snuck up behind the newly crowned Fire Lord, just as he was lifting his hand to knock on her door.

"Nobody's home," she piped up suddenly.

Zuko spun around quickly, striking a rigid martial arts stance. Katara jumped back in alarm, but the Fire Lord suddenly gawked at her.

"Katara!" He gasped, clearly very surprised. "Why did you sneak up on me like that? I almost firebended at you!"

"I think I should be the one asking questions, Zuko." Katara retorted confidently. "What are _you_ doing sneaking around my room at night? Don't you and Mai have lots of making out to do?"

A crimson blush began to form on the firebender's cheeks, matching the color of his robe. "Mai is…uh…" Zuko stuttered, struggling to regain his composure. "…I came because I wanted to talk to you about something. Something important. I didn't want to discuss it in front of the others."

Katara immediately adopted a serious manner. Silently, she opened the door to the room and gestured for Zuko to follow her in. The young Fire Lord frowned and hesitated, but then stepped through the door way. He joined Katara on the foot of the bed, cautiously maintaining an appropriate distance.

Katara glanced at Zuko, and began to remove the braids from her hair. Finally, she asked: "What is it? Is something wrong?"

Zuko shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong—it's just that I needed to let you know something—something about me."

"Yeah?" Katara was confused. She waited and stared at the newly appointed Fire Lord as he visibly struggled to push the difficult words from his lips.

"I have to let you know that this time we're in Ba Sing Se I'll be different. I'll make the right decisions this time, I promise." Zuko finally explained disconsolately.

Katara's azure eyes widened in surprise. "Are you still worried about that? I thought you knew I'd forgiven you a long time ago."

Zuko glanced towards her, watching her delicate, graceful hands work apart her hair. "I know that," he explained. "But all these thoughts of revisiting Ba Sing Se have stirred up bad memories for me."

"Zuko, I know you'll do the right thing."

The Fire Lord welcomed the warmth in the waterbender's voice. "Thank you, Katara."

Zuko stood up and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I guess I should go now."

Katara looked up at the firebender, remembering the angry, conflicted boy she had first met a year ago. Zuko had changed so much—he had overcome so much—his identity and the way he perceived himself had almost completely transformed since that fateful day on the South Pole—the day they'd met.

"Goodnight," she said softly.

Zuko turned and headed towards the door, cracking it open. His golden eyes seemed to shine in the dim light. "Goodnight, Katara."

The Fire Lord closed the door quietly behind him, and lightly stepped down the palace corridors towards his own chamber. He didn't notice that there was another pair of eyes watching him.

Aang crouched down in a dark corner, motionless. He felt a terrible twinge pinch his insides, something that made him feel somewhat sick.

_Why did Zuko just come out of Katara's bedchamber?_

The Avatar's heartbeat raced as he watched Zuko disappear around the bend. For an entire year, Aang had pined after Katara as if he were a crazy person. Only his duty as the Avatar distracted him from her kindness and beauty. Now that the war was finally over, they could finally be together. They had even shared a kiss or two.

Aang's heart sank. Zuko and Katara always seemed to have a stormy sort of relationship with each other—at least until they went off on that mission to avenge Katara's mother. Then the pair couldn't have been happier together. Had something happened between the two benders that Aang failed to notice until now? Was it a total coincidence that Katara was now accompanying Zuko to Ba Sing Se?

The boy glanced down the hall in the direction which Zuko had gone. He was so confused now, and it came at a crucial moment which required certainty. The Fire Lord was counting on him to maintain order while he was away. Zuko counted on him.

Sighing, Aang stood up and moved into the light, leaving his hiding place. He resisted the urge to knock on Katara's door, but instead walked slowly and solemnly into the heart of the palace. He gradually navigated towards his chamber, opened the door, and flopped lazily on the bed. He stared up at the darkened ceiling.

Somehow, Aang knew he would get little sleep tonight.

**Personal Thingy:**

Squeee! I love having new, exciting story ideas! Especially when we had an inexcusable lack of Zutara-ness during the series finale that needs correcting! (No offense, Kataang-lovers!) This story is quickly becoming my baby—I love it and have written parts of it ahead of time so I'll keep on with regular updating.


	2. A Tense Goodbye

**Disclaimer:** Seriously? If I owned anything having to do with Avatar you know the show would have been different!

The next morning was cool, but the sun was slowly rising, fanning its rays over the horizon and blanketing the earth in warmth. Slowly, the Fire Nation palace began to bustle with life. The servants Zuko had permitted to remain there began to roam the halls and gardens, tending to whatever chore they could. Inside their chambers, Katara, Zuko, Aang, and the others prepared for a difficult goodbye.

They all met outside the palace, in its most impressive garden. Surrounding the group of teenagers were trees of various shapes and sizes, ponds complete with koi fish, and dazzling flowers blooming. It was stunningly beautiful, but uneasiness clung to the group like morning dew to leaves.

Zuko and Katara stood side by side, their bags hanging heavily off of their shoulders. A servant approached and announced that the war balloon was being prepared for take-off; it would only take a few minutes.

"Just enough time to say goodbye," Katara stated. She looked gently at Aang, but the Avatar's eyes seemed to avoid hers. The waterbender frowned and stepped forward, pressing her body to his in a tender embrace.

"Take care of yourself, Aang. I'm going to miss you," she said softly. Pulling slightly away, she leaned in and brushed a feather-light kiss on the Avatar's cheek. "You'll keep watch of my idiot brother while I'm gone, right?"

Aang finally cracked a small smile. "Yeah, I'll be sure to do that."

"And make sure Toph doesn't crush anybody."

"Of course!" Aang halfheartedly laughed. "Katara?"

"Yes, Aang?"

"I'm going to miss you too. A lot more than you know."

The waterbender smiled at his sweet remark, but the happiness was hidden in her eyes. Aang held her for one more moment and then leaned in and kissed her. Katara made a small noise in surprise, but then allowed the romantic gesture. Aang relished the moment, even though it lasted little more than a few instants. Katara pulled away, her cheeks blushing bright red.

"Really, Aang?" She whispered to him, clearly embarrassed. "In front of everyone?"

Aang's eyes darted around and he noticed that—yes—everyone was staring at them now.

"Sorry," Aang offered Katara, and his eyes darted to the side. He noticed Zuko's eyes were fixated on both of them. The Avatar turned away to hide his unpleasant feelings.

"Where's Mai?" Zuko asked, and the Avatar allowed himself a breath. "I can't leave without saying goodbye to _my_ girlfriend."

"She doesn't seem like one who likes goodbyes," offered Sokka, tottering clumsily on his one good leg. He paused, and then made a face. "Actually, Mai doesn't seem like a girl who likes much of anything. Except for you, Zuko."

The Fire Lord smiled lightheartedly. "That's Mai, alright." He moved towards the palace. "I'll see if I can find her in time."

Zuko stepped quickly past the gardens and under the first stony overhang. He glanced to the side and saw his girlfriend leaning miserably against a pillar, casting him one of her trademark unhappy glances.

"I knew you wouldn't be far away," the Fire Lord said.

Mai shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not one to say goodbyes in public," she replied. "Zuko, do you really have to go?"

The girl reached out and pressed herself to him, and Zuko returned the embrace passionately. "Trust me, if I didn't have to leave, I wouldn't." He kissed her. "I'd much rather stay with you."

Mai smiled, and playfully tugged at Zuko's hair. "Promise me you'll write? I don't want just another lousy letter like the last time you disappeared."

"I'm not disappearing this time."

"You'd better not be, because if you do, I'm going to have to find you and you will _not _enjoy it when I do."

The Fire Lord rested his forehead against hers. "I wouldn't have it any other way." The pair shared a soft kiss, and then Zuko was forced to pull away. "I have to go now."

Mai nodded. "Okay."

Zuko hesitantly turned and began to walk back towards the garden, where he could see the large war balloon was finished being prepared. Suddenly, Mai's voice sounded behind him once more.

"Zuko?"

The Fire Lord eagerly spun around, eyes wide. "Yes, Mai? What is it?"

The warrior pressed her fists nervously to her chest, an anxious smile gracing her lips. But she shook her head, as if dismissing some unwanted thought. "Nothing…it's nothing."

Zuko smiled and spun around again, but Mai abruptly leapt forward and grabbed his hand, cradling it tightly in her own. The two Fire Nation youths stared into each other's eyes, but then Mai managed to choke out what she had really wanted to say all along.

"It's just that…I…I love you," she admitted.

The Fire Lord gaped for a moment, but then words slowly rolled out of his mouth. "Mai…I love you too," he breathed.

The two held their gaze for a moment longer, and then parted. Mai adopted an unusually sad and lonely expression on her face, but she tried her best to smile for Zuko as he pulled away and slowly reentered the gardens.

"Good luck," she called softly after him.

"Are you ready to go?" Katara asked eagerly as Zuko approached the group, who had gathered in a small semi-circle of bodies beside the giant, swelling shape of the war ballon. The airship rose up high above their heads, casting a shadow down upon the group of teenagers.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose," replied the Fire Lord. He turned and nodded towards the others as he and the waterbender climbed aboard. "Goodbye, everyone."

Katara waved and smiled, then walked from the deck into the cabin area of the airship. Zuko adjusted some of the various wires and ropes securing the balloon to the metal basket on its underside, and was just about to life off, when he heard the Avatar's voice ring out suddenly.

"Wait!" Aang shouted and approached the side of the ship. The shorter boy gripped the metal railing and hoisted himself up so he was eye-to-eye with Zuko. The young Fire Lord blinked, confused as to why the younger boy was staring at him so seriously.

"What is it, Aang?" Zuko asked quietly.

"You have to promise me something," Aang explained, his eyebrows lowering.

The firebender's eyes flickered past the Avatar, then back again. He regarded his young friend with sincerity. "If it's within my power, I'll promise anything," he swore.

The boy cast his eyes downward, and he sucked in a sharp breath, then gradually pushed out his request. "Promise me that you'll take care of Katara," he said, emotion splitting his voice. "If anything happened to her while I wasn't there I would never forgive myself."

The Fire Lord raised his eyebrows and grinned lightheartedly. "What on earth makes you think that Katara needs taking care of?"

The Avatar didn't return the gesture. "I'm serious, Zuko. I…I love Katara and I can't let anything bad happen to her."

Zuko's expression hardened and he nodded seriously, placing a reassuring hand on Aang's shoulder. "Don't worry; I'll take care of her."

"You promise?"

"I swear on my honor."

Aang visibly breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Thanks, Zuko."

The younger boy began to scale down the side of the giant airship, bouncing lightly to the green grass below on an air cushion of his own creation. He spun around lightly and then raised his hand to give the Fire Lord one last wave. Suddenly, Zuko's mind gave birth to another thought, and he leaned over the metal railing towards the waving airbender.

"Wait!" he cried, and gestured for Aang to come closer.

The boy once again flew up on gentle air currents towards the Fire Lord. "Zuko? What is it?"

The Fire Lord glanced downward thoughtfully, then back at the Avatar. "Aang, I'm going to make you one more promise."

The younger boy's eyes narrowed; he was perplexed. "What's that?"

"I promise that this time in Ba Sing Se, I'll make the right decisions. I won't let you, or Katara, or anyone else down again, I swear."

The Avatar lightly smiled. "I know, Zuko."

The boy floated downward one last time, and Zuko nodded in silent gratitude towards him. His hands worked more of the war balloon's controls, and soon the roar of hot air entering the balloon sounded above him. The ground and the people on it began to float sluggishly away and grow smaller. Zuko watched them for a moment, granting them a final wave, but then retired to the cabin.

Katara was lounging on one of the padded chairs installed in front of the many windows. Her legs were casually swung over one arm, and she turned her head to glance in Zuko's direction as he entered.

"I have to admit, your father spared no expense when it came to building every luxury into his airships," she said. "Did you know you actually have an icebox in here? Complete with drinks?"

"No, I didn't," replied the Fire Lord distantly.

_They were probably put there to be used when the soldiers toasted their victory, _Zuko thought. _Thank goodness that never happened._

He leaned his arms on a windowsill, gazing into the approaching clouds considerately. They young Fire Lord's thoughts kept freewheeling back to Mai, and the final words they'd exchanged on the ground. He wondered if those few words that had so unexpectedly rolled off his tongue had been as sincere as he'd meant them to be.

Katara watched him, studying Zuko carefully. He had a grim expression cast across his face, like a shadow had permanently fallen upon it. Curious and concerned, Katara sat up.

"Zuko, are you okay?"

The firebender started, as if woken up from a daydream. "I'm fine," he answered, much too quickly.

"Right," Katara replied sarcastically. "That was convincing. What's wrong now?"

"It's private."

"Well, I'm not going to gossip to anyone."

"I mean really private. Like between-me-and-Mai-only private."

"You can trust me."

Zuko was silent, but he did bother to cast the waterbender an irritated glance, and then crossed his arms and turned back to the window, staring at the clouds with a determined look.

Katara spun around in her chair, a smirk crawling up her face. "Is it a girl thing? Because—you might have noticed—I am a girl, and maybe I could help give you an inside look into our mysterious world."

The firebender seemed to respond to this. He turned away from the window and faced Katara, worry crossing his face. "Do you promise never to tell?"

"Waterbender's honor," swore Katara, holding up her right hand.

Zuko's mouth formed into a tight, thin line, and he turned away again. Withdrawn and shy like he was now, he seemed so much more like a typical seventeen-year-old—not at all like a man who ruled the world's most powerful nation.

"Mai said she loves me," he finally admitted, in as few words as possible.

Katara blinked. "What? What's bad about that?"

Zuko waved his hands around in exasperation, desperation, or both. "It's just that…I told her that I loved her too!"

"So?" Katara was now thoroughly confused.

"That's not it…I think I might have lied to her. I really don't know if I love her or not. Not yet." Sighing and rubbing his forehead, Zuko slid miserably down into the chair besides Katara. "I'm just confused."

Katara frowned, suddenly feeling of déjà vu swept over her. She vaguely remembered saying that same thing once. "I know how you feel," she replied sympathetically, her voice whispering softly.

Zuko's eyebrows darted up in surprise. "What did you say?"

"I know exactly how you feel…I'm kind of in the same situation with Aang." Katara bit her lip nervously. "Or at least I think I am. I still don't know for sure either."

"But you're certain he loves you?"

"Oh, he's told me several times," Katara continued. "But I've never been able to return it honestly…and it makes me feel guilty because we've known each other for so long, and I've always liked him…but when it comes to love I'm still unsure. I suppose it's just a problem I have opening my heart to someone, because so many people I've loved have abandoned me somehow."

The waterbender closed and opened her eyes, expecting a reply, but she heard none. Spinning around in her chair again, she peered back at Zuko and was surprised to him staring at her as if she were a ghost.

"What?!" she asked, alarmed and somewhat embarrassed by the firebender's shameless gawking.

Zuko leaned back, still eyeing her suspiciously. "Okay, that was just strange. You pretty much explained my entire life right there."

"Really?" Katara reacted. "Wow, Zuko—it looks like we have more in common than we realized."

"Funny how that works out, isn't it?"

The two benders sat silently in their chairs for a few minutes, neither one brave enough to cast the other a glance or exchange words. Both looked out to the distant horizon below them, their hearts like the deep blue sea that seemed to stretch forever. Finally, Katara broke the ice.

"How long will it take to get to Ba Sing Se in this thing?" She tapped her chair affectionately.

Zuko pondered a moment. "About a day," he replied confidently. "We should arrive early tomorrow morning."

"And then what do we do?"

"First thing's first—we meet up with my uncle and then begin to inform the city's citizens of the truth about war. After that, we should look for the Earth King."

"Well, that will probably take some time," Katara supposed. "And we'll have to send agents to every corner of the Earth Kingdom to find him. What about the Dai Li?"

"We'll go after them too," replied the Fire Lord. "There are still some left in the city, and according to my uncle they're using fear to continue to corrupt and control its citizens."

Katara grinned and pumped a fist into the palm of her hand. "That ought to be fun," she said excitedly. "That will definitely allow me to vent some of my frustration with this whole relationship thing."

The firebender laughed half-heartedly at that comment, then spun his chair around again, facing the broad glass windows and the sky beyond.

_Me too, _Zuko thought secretly.

The clouds ahead lazily dragged across the vast expanse of blue; their edges twisted and stretched with the winds. The ground below rolled past like a giant ball, covered in patches of grassland and forest.

**Personal Thingy:**

Yay for me! Second chapter is finished, and I'm pretty satisfied. I hope all my readers enjoyed!


	3. Confused

**Disclaimer: **I'm not in anyway affiliated with the creators or writers of Avatar, but you can bet if I were, the series finale would have been significantly different!

Author's Note: Author responses to reviews follow this chapter! Thanks to those of you who reviewed, favorited, or followed me so far!

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><p><strong>Rekindled: Chapter 3<strong>

Hours had past, dragging slowly along like sacks of rocks across dusty and uneven ground. Zuko had struggled with time throughout most of his life. Almost always, it had seemed he'd never have enough time. No time to say goodbye to his mother before her mysterious disappearance. Not enough time to beg for forgiveness before his father cruelly burned and discarded him from the royal family. No time at all to chase the Avatar. Not enough time to prepare for the finale battle with his newfound allies.

It seemed terribly, tremendously, and torturously ironic now. Now Zuko felt as though he had more time than he could bear to handle. Traveling by airship was convenient—but it was a terrible bore. He and Katara had been on their journey for hours now, and all Zuko had to do was to occasionally get up and check the controls. Sometimes he would adjust them, slightly altering a rudder or the amount of heated air in the huge contraption, but that was the highlight of the past few hours. However, nighttime was blanketing the land, and soon it would be time for sleep. The Fire Lord welcomed the thought.

Seated lazily in his chair, his feet propped up unceremoniously on the control panels; Zuko glanced around and chewed his lip. Katara had left the bridge a long time ago, citing the need to prepare dinner for the both of them. Zuko could smell something pungent wafting from the ventilation system, and his stomach growled noisily.

Huffing, he stood up and began to walk in the direction of the airship's tiny kitchen. Naturally, this sort of ship didn't have the spaciousness of a ship at sea. They were, after all, suspended hundreds of feet above the ground, attached to giant hot-air balloons. There wasn't any way to build a huge cabin underneath the belly of the ship—it would simply weigh too much. Quarters were adjusted accordingly, and predictably the kitchen suffered the most loss. No soldier aboard was a master cook anyway, and with most battle sites easily within a day's reach there was no need for an abundance of food.

The Fire Lord stepped into the room, noting the change in temperature. The air in the room was warm. From the oven, Zuko guessed. One extraordinary thing about the design of these war balloons was that they were extremely energy efficient. Furnaces burned coal to heat the air, which was directed into the balloons, keeping them aloft. However, the air would slowly cool after a while, and the airship would then begin to lose altitude. To prevent this, air that was still quite warm was pumped throughout the ship's cabin—to heat the rooms (it was much colder at higher altitudes), and of course, to assist in the heating of the kitchen appliances. The oven was a coal-burning model, of course, but thanks to the hot air being administered to it constantly, it took less coal to make the oven twice as hot. Unfortunately for whoever was using the oven, however, it also made the temperature in the room skyrocket. Right now Zuko felt as if he was being cooked.

Katara was only a few feet away, leaning over the bulk of the oven, sweat beading on her brow. When she heard Zuko approach, she tossed her tresses of hair over her shoulder and offered an exhausted-looking smile.

"Just a little warm, don't you think?" She joked, and then sighed and wiped her forehead. "I'm trying to make some dumplings for dinner, but I'm not the best at cooking."

"Not without a campfire?" Zuko teased. "While you're cooking, I could make us some tea."

"Is it just me, or are you growing fonder of tea every day?"

"I suppose I've adopted some of my uncle's tastes."

The two benders laughed softly, and then Zuko moved about the room, searching for items needed to make tea. Katara continued leaning over the oven, occasionally poking at the dumplings with a spoon. The firebender watched her intently—it was a side of Katara he'd not seen before—as she gradually grew more and more agitated with the food.

"Aargh!" the waterbender finally groaned. "I give up! They are not cooking the right way!"

"What's the matter with them?" Zuko pressed forward, strangely propelled and eager to help.

Katara gestured angrily towards the pan, where the dumplings were sizzling. "They are getting crispy on the outside but not on the inside. You can feel it when you poke them."

The girl trust the spoon in front of the bewildered firebender's face, her shoulders tightened and her lips pressed together. Noticing Zuko's surprised expression, she slowly attempted to relax.

"I'm sorry," she excused. "I'm just not—typical domestic woman material. I can't cook, even when I try. I hate sewing. But…I love to fight! What a great wife I'll be someday."

"I think you'll make a wonderful wife," Zuko said without thinking about it first. He blinked and then glanced warily towards Katara to gage her reaction to his comment. The waterbender's eyebrows lowered for a tense moment, but then her face brightened.

"Thanks, Zuko," she said graciously, and sighing she took the spoon back and resumed poking at the dumplings.

Zuko breathed a silent sigh of relief that his comment hadn't created an awkward situation between the two benders. He glanced her way again, gesturing towards the food, and Katara stepped back and handed the spoon to him. Zuko took it uncertainly and began fingering the handle to the pan.

"You seem like a pretty normal girl to me," the young Fire Lord admitted after a short pause. "But then again, you have to look at the woman I've known all my life."

Katara smiled. "Azula, Ty Lee, Mai—you're right. None of them are ordinary either."

"Don't forget Toph. She's about as far from domestic as you get."

"Right."

Katara eased back against the kitchen counter, somewhat comforted about her lack of cooking skills. She watched, confused, when Zuko suddenly picked up the dumpling pan and took it off the stove.

"What are you doing?" she asked curiously.

"I'm cooking the old-fashioned firebender way," Zuko said, and with his free hand, he lit a small flame underneath the metal pan he was holding. Gradually, he allowed the flame to grow hotter and hotter, and in less time than it took to have the conversation the dumplings were cooked. He placed the pan, still hot, on the kitchen table.

"Here, try it." Zuko stabbed one of the plump dumplings and offered it to Katara.

The waterbender took the food and cautiously bit into it. Sure enough, the center was deceitfully warm. "These are perfect!" she exclaimed. "Zuko, I didn't know you knew how to cook!"

"I had to find some way to feed myself while I was wandering around the Earth Kingdom alone," modestly explained the Fire Lord.

"What else did you learn while you were wandering in the Earth Kingdom alone?" The waterbender pressed on.

Seriousness overtook the firebender's expression. Then he glanced back at Katara, the lines of a grateful smile crossing his face. "I learned that sometimes it's better not to be alone."

Katara was taken aback by his revelation, but she offered him a confused, shy smile. "I guess that's one thing we've all learned from you. None of this would have been possible without you."

Zuko nodded graciously, thinking of the events of the recent past replaying in his thoughtful mind. "Thank you, Katara,"

"No, I should be thanking you! Not only for what you did for all of us, but what you did for me. I…I never really properly thanked you—formally—for what you did for me the day of Sozin's Comet."

Cautiously, Katara reached out a delicate, tanned hand and brushed her fingertips against the front of the Fire Lord's silk robes, just above Zuko's near-fatal injury. The deadly bolt of lightning Azula had meant for Katara was the only thing he still had nightmares about. Zuko's reaction had been noble, and it had probably saved the waterbender's life, but it had very nearly cost him his own. In the weeks since that day, the angry red scar on his chest and the pain it caused was a constant reminder of his split-second sacrifice. However, Zuko didn't even feel a twinge of remorse regarding his decision. More than anything, he was certain that if given the same choice again—even a thousand times—that he would choose the risk of death every single time to protect Katara.

That was, after all, what he had promised to Aang to do, wasn't it?

Katara watched as the memories flashed through Zuko's amber-colored eyes, her fingers still brushing against the fabric that hid the young Fire Lord's wound. She stepped closer. Katara's palm flattened against Zuko's chest, resting just above his heart. She could feel the strong muscle pounding rhythmically beneath his ribcage. His eyes met hers, and the heat in the room seemed to increase exponentially in that moment.

Suddenly, Zuko visibly winced. Katara jumped back, alerted by the firebender's reaction to her touch.

"I'm sorry," Katara whispered suddenly, wringing her hands nervously. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

They regarded each other with strange and somewhat frightened glances, as if an electric shock had stretched between them, and each blamed the opposite for the pain.

Zuko inhaled, slightly embarrassed by his reaction to Katara's slight gesture. "No, I'm not. I'm just jumpy. Sorry."

Katara stared at him for just a moment longer, then seized the pan of dumplings and retreated across the room, hastily grabbing plates and utensils from various cabinets. With her back turned, Zuko was able to breathe that sigh of relief that he couldn't while those ocean-colored eyes were fixed on him. He gripped the front of his shirt where she had touched, and felt the slight sting as the pressure of his fingertips bit gently into his wound.

"Do you want to eat here, or somewhere else, Zuko?" Katara asked, glancing over her shoulder as she arranged their plates and brought them to the table.

Zuko lifted his head, trying to shake off the strange moment he and the waterbender had just shared. "The kitchen is too cramped; we can eat on the bridge if you want."

Katara shot him an uncertain smile. "Okay,"

Ten minutes later, the two benders were seated comfortably and casually in their seats at the bridge of the war balloon. They'd made conversation just as casual, but somehow the subject of discussion had gradually sunk back into the murky pool of relationships. Zuko found out the hard way how much girls could talk about romance if you let them; however, he was surprised to discover that he actually didn't mind hearing about the complex details that Katara confessed to him. He found himself enthralled with her stories, willing to learn more about her, and even more eager to offer help.

Now, Zuko busied himself with finishing his meal and listening as Katara relayed to him the unseen events that had conspired between her and Aang the night their group had attended the play put on by the Ember Island Players. He watched thoughtfully as the waterbender's expressions shifted—like waves on sand—as she explained.

"So after the third act of the play, I went outside to find Aang," Katara was telling him enthusiastically. She'd suddenly grown very trusting, and no detail of her story was off limits.

"He was there, and he started asking me if I had 'really meant what I said'—in the play, of course—and if he really was just like a little brother to me." The waterbender continued. "He wanted to know if that was true and if we kissed on the Day of Black Sun, then why weren't we together now? And I told him that I didn't know because at that time—you know—we had so much more important stuff to deal with like with your father and the war, and that isn't the sort of backdrop I would every want to start a romantic relationship in anyway, so—"

"Katara—you're starting to ramble." Zuko murmured. He felt the need to remind the girl every once in a while that she needed to take a breath.

"Um…Sorry."

"It's alright. Go on."

"Okay…where was I again? Oh yeah, Aang asked why we couldn't be in a relationship after the Day of Black Sun. And I told him that I didn't know; that there were more important things to worry about. But he insisted, and I told him I was confused—but then he kissed me!" Katara's eyes grew wide as she recollected the events. "And at that moment I just thought what on _earth_ could he be thinking to make him think that doing that was right at that moment, so I left him there."

The girl crossed her arms and gazed solemnly out of the wide, expansive windows. Her dark lashes blinked rapidly, but Zuko was unsure if their movements were triggered by the girl's growing frustration or an attempt to hold back tears. He continued to listen as Katara spilled out more of her heart.

"I feel bad about it now, of course. But obviously, Aang's forgiven me. And—and now, everything's alright, and I know I shouldn't, but…but I still feel confused!" The waterbender's brow furrowed, her blue eyes burning in frustration. She took a bite of one of her hot dumplings and chewed. "I just get so—so angry at myself for this."

Zuko cocked his head thoughtfully to the side. "Why are you angry at yourself? It sounds more like you're angry at Aang."

The girl shook her head adamantly. "No—it's just that…" she sighed and paused to collect her thoughts. "It's just that, all my life, no matter what happens I've always been certain what is right and what it wrong. But lately it's all been muddled together. First with the Southern Raiders, now with Aang…I'm not sure anymore if what I'm doing is right."

Zuko's eyes shifted to the ground. "You mean, about being with Aang?"

Katara glanced at him, apparently surprised, for an instant. She then took another small bite from her plate, moved the food around in her mouth with her tongue, but found herself unable to swallow. Her eyes slide down to the floor.

"Yeah," she admitted, and took another bite.

"If it's any consolation, I have similar feelings about Mai," Zuko laid his head back and stared at the riveted ceiling. "Everyone around us thinks we're meant for each other, but I always wonder how they can be so sure, when even I'm not. Mai and I have liked each other since we were kids, so I guess it can be assumed that we_ are_ meant to be—but love is such a big step, and—and I don't want to make any more bad decisions."

"I think you're on the right path now, Zuko."

"Yeah, but I thought I was on the right path before too—you know—when I was chasing you and Aang and your brother around the world like a mad man!"

"But you were confused then—"

"I'm confused now!"

Katara and Zuko glanced at each other then, their eyes locking. The waterbender stared deeply into the Fire Lord's harsh golden eyes and tugged one of her braids nervously.

"I know," she answered him softly. "I'm confused too."

Personal Thingy:

I totally know that I'll get tons of hate reviews from Kataang shippers from this chapter. Sorry canon—thou art mine enemy, not thy friend! Please be nice and review! Love the reviews!

**BlueHawk1785:** Thanks very much for your compliments. I'm glad you like my attention to detail—it's one of the hardest things to get right as an author. It's wonderful that you noticed! Thanks again!

**XrhiaX:** Thank you! I'm glad you like how I've interpreted Aang's character. One thing I pride myself is keeping my characters as close to the canon as possible. I hate it when well-meaning authors completely change a character's personality to suit their stories. I mean, the show became popular because the viewers fell in love with the characters—so why change a good thing? Thanks again for your kind review!

**Amore1993:** Thanks for your review; I'm glad to have caught your interest! I'm glad you noticed my "subtle" hint about how Zutara is more logical than Kataang. Please review again! Thanks!

**ML7:** Hey there, my friend. Thanks for continuing to review! I'm super busy as well—isn't everyone nowadays? Luckily for me, I've been writing "Rekindled" on an off for the last few years, and I've got 5 more chapters after this one already written. I'm glad you're looking forward to Zuko and Katara's arrival in Ba Sing Se—I'll be the first to admit that this chapter was rather uneventful—but fear not! The next will be much better. Unfortunately, however, they will not find that the city is free from corruption. Whoops—spoiler alert! I plan for some major drama in the future. Thanks again for your wonderful compliments and faithfulness! See you soon!

**Scattered Bronze:** Please don't cry—my fics are not meant to make you cry! LOL. I'm glad you like them though; thanks very much for the review. I'm glad you enjoyed the way I interpreted the characters—that's one of the things I take pride in. Thank you again for the compliments!

**Blackrosee84:** Thanks very much for your review! I appreciate it very much and am glad that you're looking forward to the rest of the story. Please review again! Thanks!

**Rashaka:** I liked your review, continues. LOL. Thanks very much for the compliments!

**Yumi 26:** *Also strokes nonexistent beard* (Also nonexistent because I'm a girl too). I'm glad you enjoy the story! Thanks very much for the review!

**KJun:** Thanks very much for your review and your kind words. I think you're not the only one who noticed the similarities between Katara and Zuko—maybe one of the few who was conscious of it, though. I think one of the reasons that the fans came up with the pairing is because there WAS such a similarity in their characters. Thanks very much for your kind words; I'm glad you're looking forward to reading more!


	4. Unexpected

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing! And I hate it!

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><p>Daylight passed away as the airship dragged along the sky, leaving an invisible trail of disturbed air in its wake. Zuko and Katara remained on the bridge, seated silently, watching as the sky gently descended into darkness. Katara felt slightly embarrassed and apprehensive to speak or even glance at the Fire Lord since their sudden, emotional outbursts. She was well aware that Zuko wasn't a therapist—there wasn't anything he could offer to help her situation—but something about their similar feelings made the filter between her brain and mouth disappear.<p>

_Still, it feels good to have told someone how I feel,_ Katara thought. _Even though there's nothing he can do to help me._

One by one, the pair watched as the stars began to appear in the thick, darkening blanket of sky. The moon appeared over the horizon, bright and glistening, like a silver plate cast across the black void. Suddenly the land below seemed to change and shift, as if it were spirited by some unseen, silvery force. Its ethereal presence mesmerized Katara for a minute, but suddenly a strong hand gripped her shoulder tightly.

"Ahh!"

The waterbender jumped up in fright, her hand flying up and grasping the offending arm, twisting it. Its owner yelped in pain, and abruptly Katara let the would-be attacker go.

"Zuko! Why did you sneak up on me? I didn't even see you get out of your chair!"

The Fire Lord rubbed his injured wrist and looked at her unbelievably. "Who else could it be?! We're the only two people on this ship!"

Katara realized her mistake, and a strong sense of sympathy overcame her surprise. "Of course I know that…I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"I'll be fine," Zuko shot her a small, forgiving smile. "I was just getting up to tell you that I was going to bed."

"Oh…okay."

"I set the controls to fly us throughout the rest of the night. By tomorrow morning we should arrive in Ba Sing Se. Are you going to stay here for a while?"

"No, I think I'll go to bed as well. I'm sure we'll have a busy day tomorrow."

Zuko nodded and headed out the door, Katara following closely. "I'm not sure what we'll be doing tomorrow. We'll have to consult with my uncle and the Order of the White Lotus once we get there."

Zuko paused about halfway down the narrow, metal corridor. He gestured to a door on the right. "This is your room."

Katara blinked awkwardly and then peeked thought the door. Inside, she spied a fully-furnished bedroom, modestly decorated with Fire Nation propaganda. A fluffy bed, piled with crimson pillows, was the highlight. Upon it, however, Katara noticed that several garments were laid out carefully.

"Zuko, what's this?" She asked, entering the room and picking up one of the pieces—and elegantly embroidered robe. It was constructed out of a gorgeous gold brocade fabric, with a traditional high collar and long, graceful sleeves.

The Fire Lord stepped forward and admired the garments. "I helped Aang pick them out for you. He said he wanted to surprise you sometime, and I figured this would be a good time."

Katara frowned and gave the clothes a second, quizzical glance. "Aang picked these out?"

"With my help," Zuko added, noticing Katara's expression change. "Sorry, I had them put here before you told me about…about the troubles you were having with him. I guess it doesn't help much."

Katara delicately brushed the fabrics with a tip of a finger, her eyes cast downward. "No, that's okay. It was sweet of him…and you."

"I hope you like them," The Fire Lord said, somewhat awkwardly. He slowly backed towards the door and out of the room. "Goodnight, Katara. I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight," replied the waterbender absentmindedly. She heard the door shut, and only then did she dare to glance up. Finally, sighing in frustration, she threw the gown across the floor and collapsed onto the bed in a heap.

"What is wrong with me?" She asked herself. Her voice echoed off the metal walls for an instant, but then silence followed, and she was left without an answer.

Every gesture of love and romance that Aang made seemed to make Katara feel worse. She was touched by the effort he made to please her, but her guilt overwhelmed her. Aang loved her; he had expressed it to her—vocally and otherwise—so many times. But she felt she couldn't return the words, and she couldn't help remembering how much less complicated her life had been before Aang had told her about his feelings.

_I'm confident that I like him,_ she thought to herself. _I like spending time with him…but does that constitute love? _

Katara laid there and pondered her situation. What exactly constitutes love? How would she know love from all the other intense feelings she'd felt? And—how was Aang so sure that he was in love with her?

_Maybe I'm just not ready for it, and Aang is, _Katara thought.

Exhaling slowly, Katara rose from the bed, moved across the room and picked up the golden robe from the floor. She carefully examined it, holding it out in front of her with both arms. It was so expertly crafted, and made from such beautiful material. It must have been expensive.

"It was really thoughtful of Aang to want to get me something," she admitted to herself.

The waterbender glanced back towards the bed. Two other outfits were laid across the now wrinkled blankets. One was another variation of the Fire Nation clothes she'd worn as a disguise before the fall of Fire Lord Ozai. It consisted of a long halter top, which was decorated with gold embroidery at the neck and spread gracefully over the hips, and a long, full skirt and matching gauntlets. The third outfit was the most striking, mostly because of its color. The deep blue hue contrasted greatly with the characteristic crimson shades that were most commonly found in Fire Nation markets. The fabric itself was unique—smooth, soft, and light—it was silk. The garment came in several layers, but it didn't take Katara a second glance to figure out that this was a more expensive, glamorous version of her Water Tribe clothing. The edge of each piece was stitched with silver thread, and a graceful heron design was embroidered along the wrapped collar. Gently, Katara picked up each garment, folded them and placed them away from the bed.

Slowly, Katara undressed and climbed underneath the sheets, trying to keep her mind off of Aang and the million other things that could trouble her. She had a job to do tomorrow, and that was the help Zuko restore peace in Ba Sing Se. She couldn't let superficial issues with her emotions distract her from the huge task they had ahead of them.

The waterbender recalled what Zuko had said earlier about him and Mai being "meant to be." She secretly wondered if the young Fire Lord believed that was true, and if she and Aang were destined to be together as well.

Katara remembered everything she'd heard about destiny during her travels and trials with Aang. Most of those comments had been meant for the Avatar, of course, but Katara had taken them to heart too. She believed that everyone had a destiny: Aang's was to defeat Fire Lord Ozai, and it had been hers and everyone else's place to assist him. Now that all of that was achieved, what was her destiny? Was she really meant to be with Aang?

_I can see a great romance for you— the man you are going to marry…I can see that he is a very powerful bender. _

Katara remembered the words the fortuneteller Aunt Wu had told her many months ago. Of course, the old woman's reputation for accuracy had suffered since then, but Katara still secretly wondered if Aunt Wu possessed some way of seeing into the future. After all, Aang was obviously a very powerful bender, but there had been more to Aunt Wu's prediction that seemed to indicate the Avatar was her future spouse. Katara remembered very clearly what she had been told.

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><p>"<em>About this man I'm going to marry—is he handsome?" Katara pressed on excitedly as she entered Aunt Wu's chamber. "Oh, I hope he's tall!"<em>

"_Ah…" the elderly woman's eyebrows rose slightly. "…you want another reading."_

"_Yes, please!"_

_Eagerly, the waterbender followed the fortuneteller inside and seated herself neatly on one of the oversize pillows in front of the large circular fire pit. Somehow, she couldn't stop overexcited, idealized questions from pouring out of her mouth._

"_Is he going to be sweet? Romantic? When will I meet him? How will he propose? And how will—"_

_Aunt Wu held up a hand, signaling for the girl to stop her chattering. "I see many adventures in your future. Your love will have shared similar experiences."_

"_Ooh…what else?"_

"_Lend me your palm," said the old woman tiredly, and Katara thrust forward her right hand. The fortuneteller examined it carefully, cocking her head from side to side as she did, and humming quietly to herself._

"_In addition to being a powerful bender, the man you marry will be a great leader. You will overcome many conflicts together, and it is during these conflicts you will begin to fall in love."_

"_Tell me more!"_

"_Ah…alright…what would you like to know?" Aunt Wu's patience was thinning._

_Katara mulled it over for a minute. "Tell me more about…him," she said dreamily._

"_I see a man who has overcome many hardships, but this has made him strong. He has suffered great loss, and because of this he will cherish you. He will make great sacrifices to help your cause, and for you…there is one thing, however…"_

"_What's that? Is something wrong?"_

"_You will not trust your heart to this man right away. But you will eventually warm up to him, and it won't be long before your relationship blossoms into romance."_

_Katara was enchanted. "Can you tell how exactly we'll fall in love?"_

_Aunt Wu glanced at her again and raised an eyebrow. Sighing, she reexamined Katara's palm. "I cannot tell you exactly how, but what I can tell you is this: It will happen unexpectedly."_

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><p>"But all that stuff she told me is so…vague!" Katara whispered to herself as she tossed around under the sheets. "But…Aang is a great bender and a great leader…and she did say that I wouldn't trust my heart to him right away."<p>

It all seemed to make sense to her. Maybe Aunt Wu was credible after all—maybe Aang loving her was no coincidence—it was fate. And if this was the way it was meant to be, Katara's anxiousness about their relationship was expected and everything would be better in time.

_For now, I have to concentrate on sleeping…_Katara thought, even as her eyes fluttered closed. Despite her former nervousness, she was asleep in minutes, drifting into a dark, dreamless slumber.

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><p><strong>Personal Thingy:<strong> Gotta keep things interesting for you. Gotta keep you guessing. Does it matter? No, because you know it will end up Zutara in the end! Also have for you this gem of a quote I found on an Avatar forum:

"You may have your Kataang ending, but_ I_ have the fact that Zuko was ready to give his _life_ for Katara!" –Anonymous.

Yayness! Just another clue that our favorite Avatar coupling was meant to be. Sorry again, Kataang shippers, but the evidence is _so_ there.


	5. A Very, Very Unmarried Fire Lord

**Disclaimer: **Considering that my net worth is something like negative two thousand dollars (college debt!), I'm probably not a person the creaters of Avatar would waste their time suing. Anywho, I'm not affiliated with Avatar, I'm just afflicted with an incurable case of Zutara.

The next morning, Katara awoke slowly. She didn't even open her eyes at first. She just rolled over, taking the blankets with her, and moaned. Eventually, her lashes fluttered open, and she dragged herself out from under the sheets.

Today was an important day. She and Zuko would arrive in Ba Sing Se, and it was important that they made a good impression on the city's citizens. Scanning over the garments that she'd been presented by Zuko the night before, she pondered.

The blue Water Tribe gown and the golden brocaded robe were each very luxurious and beautiful, and this made Katara want to wear them, but she worried about the impression she would have on the citizen's in Ba Sing Se's lower ring if she wore them. Surely the refugees would be distrustful of another richly dressed government official feeding them information. She decided that the crimson Fire Nation gown was most suitable—not overly glamorous enough to make her appear aloft and boastful, but still nice enough to make her presentable to peasants as well as noblemen. She put the gown on, admired herself in the mirror for a bit, and then headed out towards the bridge.

Katara was eager to start the day, and to begin the process of restoring order in the city. It would keep her busy, so maybe all the thoughts about Aang that she'd shared last night would move aside for a while and clear her head.

Zuko was waiting for her. Katara glanced at his clothing and noticed that he was similarly dressed in Fire Nation clothing, and his hair done up. His robes weren't extremely elaborate, but they gave Zuko a sense of sophistication and respect. The only thing that gave away his position as Fire Lord was the golden flame which sat neatly upon his head. It flashed in the morning sunlight as he turned his head to greet Katara. 

"Good morning," he said softly, his eyes taking in the sight of her.

_Very stunning, _he commented inwardly._ She always looked good in red._

Although it wasn't a color very characteristic of her heritage, Zuko preferred Katara to be clad in red rather than any other color. It made her look like the most exotic of Fire Nation beauties. Not many girls from his country could boast the dark complexion and flowing hair Katara possessed so modestly.

"Hi," the waterbender replied in a voice that bubbled like a brook. "How are you?"

Zuko smiled. "I'm alright, if not a little nervous. You seem like you're in a better mood this morning."

"I had all night to think."

"So did I," replied the young Fire Lord mysteriously.

Katara scowled slightly at that comment, unsure of what Zuko meant, but she turned her face way so that he wouldn't notice her confused expression. It was strange being so close to Zuko like this—they understood each other and had obviously become closer after bonding over their relationship struggles last night—but she couldn't help but wonder what the firebender thought about the situation. She sighed, dismissing the thoughts into the darkest corners of her mind. She couldn't let this distract her from the mission she and Zuko had coming to them. Ba Sing Se wasn't far away.

After a moment, Katara turned towards the Fire Lord. "Do you want some breakfast? There were some extra dumplings left in the kitchen."

"We might as well not bother," Zuko said. He gestured with one hand forward, straight ahead: "Look."

Katara peered in the direction he pointed towards. Through the windows, barely visible on the beige, dusty horizon, she saw a great wall expanding across the land. "We're here," she realized.

The miles that separated the two benders from the city passed in mere minutes, and soon Zuko was busily flicking switches and pressing buttons on the control panels of the huge airship. Katara watched in curiosity as the sparse landscape surrounding the huge city grew closer and closer.

"We should be landing any second now," Zuko warned, "I'd sit down if I were you."

"Why?" Katara chirped, but suddenly the metal beneath their feet shook violently, tossing the two teenagers off their feet like dolls. Katara screamed as she felt her ankles buckle and her body begin to fall. She suddenly felt a tug in the opposite direction, and she collided with something soft, which grunted in pain.

Suddenly, the shaking stopped, and it seemed that the airship had finished grinding to a halt on the ground. Katara suddenly became aware that she was sprawled across the floor—well, actually Zuko was between her and the floor. He'd caught her and broken her fall. Katara gasped in shock and embarrassment, and then scurried off of him.

"Ow," The Fire Lord winced in pain, and smiled foolishly at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I forgot about your wound! Did I hurt it?" Katara apologized over and over again. She clutched her hands to her chest in a genuine mix of humiliation and concern.

"I'm fine, Katara, don't worry." Zuko excused. "Are you alright?"

"Well…yeah. Rough landing, huh?"

"I haven't quite figured out the perfect way to land one of these things yet."

The two benders sat on the floor of the airship bridge, giggling to hide their embarrassment. Before they could rise, however, the door to the outside slammed open, and a familiar and intimidating silhouette appeared in the doorway. Both teens immediately ceased their laughter and looked up in alarm.

General Iroh, clad in the white and blue robes characteristic of the Order of the White Lotus, regarded them with a questioning eye. His eyebrows raised, then lowered, and then the old man's face spread into an inviting smile.

"Having a slumber party on the floor, are we Fire Lord Zuko? Just like when you were a child," The old man chuckled, a pleasantly rough sound, at his own joke.

Zuko ignored his elderly uncle's gag. Instead, he sprang up to his feet and bowed to his elder relative; he then rushed forward and embraced the old General. "I'm so glad to see you, Uncle Iroh."

"And I am overjoyed to once again be in Ba Sing Se with you," replied Iroh. The old man leaned to the side and glanced past the boy at Katara, who stood up. "And I see you brought a friend."

Katara came forward and bowed respectfully towards the General. "It's a pleasure seeing you again, General Iroh."

"The pleasure is all mine, Katara. And might I add—you look absolutely stunning."

Katara giggled, Zuko rolled his eyes at his Uncle's pointless flirtations. "Thank you. You know, Zuko helped Aang pick it out."

"I always knew my nephew had good tastes," General Iroh gestured for the pair to follow him out of the door.

Outside, the sunlight was harsh and hot, and the gigantic wall of the city rose up before them like a huge beast. There were several other members of the Order of the White Lotus waiting for them in the shadow cast by the massive stone structure. Those of which who were members of the Fire Nation bowed respectively towards their newly appointed Fire Lord. Behind them rested a gate, with several other White Lotus guards posted at its entrance. Hurriedly, the blue-clad figures moved to surround the trio, escorting them into the outer ring of the city. There was a sudden thundering beneath their feet, and the members of the Order who were Earthbenders quickly drew up a curtain of earth around Zuko, Katara, and General Iroh.

Zuko gaped at the spectacle, but then he wondered: "Do they know that I'm the Fire Lord, Uncle? Why are we being hidden?"

The General nodded. "Word spreads very quickly in the lower ring of the city. News of your father's defeat has caused a lot of celebration recently. Unfortunately, it also has been causing a lot of unease. I fear it will be a challenge to get the refugees to understand that the new Fire Lord is not the same as the last."

"Will I be making an appearance? Do you think I'll be under any threat?"

"It may not be the wisest idea to try and appear to the refugees as Fire Lord just yet, Zuko." Iroh's eyes turned towards his nephew seriously. "I'm going to start you out with an audience that's less informed and more oblivious to the world around them."

Katara and Zuko shared glances of confusion. "What kind of audience is that?" Katara asked.

"The aristocracy."

"Aristocrats?" Zuko echoed. "Why are we starting with them?"

Iroh paused as the trio and their entourage stepped inside the city. A carriage was waiting to carry them wherever they needed to go, and each bender climbed in. Zuko took notice that the windows of the carriage were cloaked with a sheer swath of fabric—it would make it easy for them to see out into the city—but difficult for anyone outside to see who was riding in the carriage. He frowned unpleasantly. Naturally, he was proud of his new title, and this certainly wasn't the return to Ba Sing Se he'd imagined.

_Uncle is right-I'm a fool…_he mentally scolded himself. _…to believe that I could walk on in with all my newfound gloriousness and valor—and to earn the trust of the refugees._

"Uncle? Why are we beginning with the aristocracy?" Zuko persisted when the old man didn't answer, leaning forward in his seat as the carriage began to jerk and move forward.

The old man glanced out of the carriage window through the screen as they passed streets and alleys, entered and exited through gates, and made their way slowly up to the Upper Ring. "The aristocracy is the population that is the least informed about the war. In fact, many of them are not aware there ever was a war. That is how isolated they've become from the rest of the world as a result of Ba Sing Se's corrupt structure. It is up to you, Zuko, and Katara, to tell them."

Katara glanced at Zuko hopefully. "Well, that doesn't seem that hard,"

One hour later, Katara and Zuko found themselves thrust onto the stage of a grandeur performance theatre, with the entire population of the Upper Ring staring at them from the hundreds of seats. Their blinking faces, decorated with heavy make up and powder, displayed their utter confusion and annoyance at being called to a theatre so urgently—and so early in the day. Many of them leaned over to their neighbors to whisper. The sound of their gossip filled the room.

"What was that about this not seeming that hard?" Zuko whispered harshly in her ear.

Katara blinked and shot him a dagger like look. "Like I knew there was this many people living in the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se!"

"Didn't you live here?!"

"Well—yes—but I didn't do a census!"

General Iroh regarded the teenagers bickering with a slight laugh. "Don't worry Fire Lord Zuko. I'm sure you'll find this crowd easier to deal with than you would the Earth Kingdom refugees. Trust me, it will be very different from what you expect."

"I guess," Zuko murmured halfheartedly. He turned to Katara. "Just be here to back me up, okay?"

Katara stepped forward and gripped the boy's shoulder in a reassuring gesture. "Don't worry, Zuko. You were great in front of your first council meeting when we decided to do this. I know you'll do fine this time too. And I'll help."

The young Fire Lord glanced at the waterbender's smile and then nodded. "I know. Thanks, Katara."

Cautiously, Zuko turned and stepped to the center of the stage and into the light. Katara was close behind, wringing her hands in front of her. Silence fell over the audience as the crimson-clad pair appeared, and both teens felt the heavy gaze of hundreds of eyes. Zuko glanced over his shoulder at the waterbender, gulped, and then began to speak.

"I realize that many of you are surprised to be here today. I have to be honest—I am as well." Zuko paused for a bit to gauge the audience's reaction, but there was only more silence. "My name is Fire Lord Zuko. I was once a member of this great city, and I was witness to both the good and the evil taking place here. But now, I've been called to reform my troubled country, and I've come to speak to you about something some of you might have never heard of—a war that's raged the entire world for on hundred years."

A wave of shouts and gasps swept through the large audience, and some of the members stood up, yelling questions and protests towards the stage. Zuko glanced around him, and waited patiently for the tirade of voices to settle. Then he continued:

"One hundred years ago, my great-grandfather Fire Lord Sozin used the power of a colossal comet to attack the western edges of the Earth Kingdom and destroy the world's entire population of Air Nomads. During his reign of power, Sozin managed to establish many Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom. However, Ba Sing Se remained too mighty a fortress for the Fire Nation to conquer, and this is why many of you remained unaware. Although the war is now over, Sozin's crimes—as well as those committed by the Fire Lords that came after him—were horrible and unforgivable. They have scarred the world and its people. But I stand before you not as an enemy, but as an ally and a friend. I've made it my personal goal to inform you about the war, so if you have questions, now is the time to ask."

A stunned silence filled the large space, and Zuko, who had felt confident during his speech, began to feel his certainty slipping. His eyes darted from face to face in the audience, searching for any sign that they had understood.

Finally, a man in the second row stood up and addressed the young Fire Lord. "My name is Governor Lin. It is my pleasure to be in the presence of such an esteemed representative from the Fire Nation."

"The pleasure is mine," Zuko replied courteously. "General Lin, did you have an inquiry?"

"Yes," the man nodded. "I was wondering…if that lovely young lady behind you is your wife?"

Katara's jaw suddenly gaped open, she felt a sudden hot stain of blush upon her cheeks, and she glanced at Zuko in disbelief. The firebender mirrored her expression, and the astonished pair looked back at the Governor for any sign that he was making a tasteless joke. But the man simply cocked his head and waited for an answer.

Zuko abruptly and very adamantly shook his head. "No—this is Katara, a representative of the Southern Water Tribe, here to support my cause. Of course she's not my wife."

"My apologies," the Governor replied.

A woman in the next row stood up and waved her long, flowing sleeves in Zuko's direction. "If she is from the Water Tribe, why is she dressed in Fire Nation uniform?"

"Uh…because those clothes were a gift," Zuko stuttered.

"So you're not married then, Fire Lord Zuko?" shouted another voice from the back of the theatre. "But you bestow gifts upon you're female supporters?"

"What? No! I mean—yes—"

"Are you betrothed?" yelled another.

"No—no, I'm not!" Zuko insisted once more, mortified.

The room had suddenly exploded with voices, and members of the audience stood up in their seats like fans at an earth rumble tournament, shouting over one another and gesturing towards the stage. Zuko's mouth hung open in awe at these people. Why weren't they concerned about the war? Why did they even care if he was married or not? He turned back to his uncle, who shot him a knowing smile. Zuko cast a glance at Katara, who had moved to be by his side, and who was equally amazed at the audience's lack of awareness for their cause. More ridiculous questions reached their ears, and finally, Katara could take no more of it.

"I can't believe you people!" She shouted and stepped forward, spitting her words out into the audience. The din quieted a bit.

"Listen to me! Listen!" She screamed as loudly as her straining lungs would allow, and finally the room fell silently again, until her angered voice echoed throughout the building. "We come here with important news regarding global events that could affect this city's future, and you're concerned with whether or not the Fire Lord is married? What difference does it make to you? How can that be more important that restoring the balance to Ba Sing Se and the world? If you are all going to be that dense, then Fire Lord Zuko and I aren't going to waste our time on you!"

Katara turned her back on the stunned aristocrats and grasped Zuko's arm. "Come on, Zuko," she commanded, yanking him alongside her as she stalked angrily away from center stage.

"Katara!" The young Fire Lord protested, but the waterbender sent him a dangerous glare that made him reconsider. Obediently, Zuko followed Katara and the pair joined General Iroh behind the curtains of the theatre.

"What is wrong with these people?" Katara immediately launched into a heated tirade. "How can they not be concerned with restoring their city after a war, but worry about whether or not Zuko is married?"

General Iroh smiled. "I told you that this would be easy, didn't I?"

"You're kidding, right?" Zuko asked, stunned. "How can I educate them when they're only interested in learning about my personal life? Haven't they got the slightest clue what's gone on in the world?"

"The Dai Li," Katara cut in, her eyebrows lowering. "The cultural authority of the city. They keep it this way. When Aang and the rest of us were here to look for Appa and alert the Earth King, nobody in the Upper Ring knew about the war either."

"The Dai Li have gone underground since the Order of the White Lotus seized control back from the Fire Nation," Iroh explained. "But I see the residents here have remained blissfully unaware."

"Unaware is an understatement," Katara hissed. "They are completely ignorant!"

"Obviously," agreed Zuko. "And why are they so damned set on my relationship status?"

General Iroh blinked at his nephew and then laughed. "Fire Lord Zuko, you are being very naive!"

"What? What about?"

"Did you not see their eyes light up when you announced that you were Fire Lord and unmarried? That's the Upper Ring's culture," Iroh explained. "Marriage is about political gain around here. Aristocrats try to marry their daughters and sons into dominant families, so that they can gain more power and prestige. You just told them that you were the Fire Lord and unmarried. Imagine all the marriage proposals you'll be getting by tomorrow!"

As Zuko's face turned a pale shade of white, Katara groaned miserably and hung her head into her hands. "Great! How are we supposed to command respect with a bunch of noblemen stalking us with the hopes you'll marry their daughter!"

Zuko shot her a look. "But I have a girlfriend," he murmured weakly.

"Zuko, they don't know about Mai," Iroh placed a reassuring hand across the young Fire Lord's shoulders. "And besides, they believe differently from us. Even if they knew about your girlfriend, it wouldn't stop them from trying to persuade you to throw her to the wind and elope with one of their own."

The firebender lowered his eyebrows suspiciously as he glanced down at his uncle. "If you knew this, was going to happen, why did you bring us here first?"

The old General let out a full-bellied laugh once more, his fingers gripping his stomach. "Zuko, I knew you'd be surprised, and I thought it best that we get this out of the way first. You just wait; as the news begins to sink in I'm sure the Upper Ring will be more willing to listen to your proposals."

Zuko granted his uncle one more puzzled look, then rubbed his temples, trying to ease the anxious headache he knew would be coming later. The young Fire Lord couldn't believe how the day's events had conspired this way—and it was still early morning! Sighing in aggravation, he turned back towards his uncle and Katara. Both were staring expectantly at him, but the waterbender's glare was different from Iroh's. Iroh watched him with a sort of curious observance and fatherly affection, but Katara surveyed him with worried, concerned eyes. The expression made Zuko want to press himself harder in order to prove—to Katara, not his uncle—that he was capable of the title he owned. Somehow, ever since that day they'd spent together in the Crystal Caverns of Old Ba Sing Se, Zuko felt the need to prove himself to her—to show her that he wouldn't repeat the colossal mistakes he'd made in this city once again. Zuko had promised himself—and Katara—for her sake, that this time would be different.

Katara approached the Fire Lord, stopping his rapid pacing by clenching a hand around his shoulder. "Zuko," she told him softly. "I know it's probably not the way you expected today to start, but maybe we should just go back to your uncle's house. Maybe we'll have better luck tomorrow."

"Katara, my entire reign as Fire Lord cannot depend on luck!" Zuko exasperated. "I have to do this myself."

"And you will," continued the waterbender. "It will just take time. This wasn't a failure today, Zuko. These people are just not ready to accept the reality of what's happened. I think they'd rather concentrate on superficial stuff right now."

"Tell me about it," muttered the firebender grumpily.

Iroh approached the teenagers and gently placed a plump, wrinkled hand on each of them. "Come now," he commanded softly. "We'll go to my townhouse, and I'll put on some soothing jasmine tea."

"Tea," Zuko laughed ironically.

"The greatest relaxation technique in the world," The old General insisted. "Shall we go?"

The two teens nodded, both feeling the need to relieve themselves of the burden they felt on their shoulders for a while. It would be nice to relax, especially since Zuko and Katara had many more, increasingly difficult tasks ahead of them.

**PERSONAL THING:**

Okay, I admit it. That was a pretty lame ending. But hopefully some of you found the whole Zuko-marriage-aristocracy-is-stupid-idea pretty funny. It's about to get better. Be looking out for the next chappie soon!


	6. Rumors and Runaways

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**A/N: Thanks to all of my reviewers who have been really patient with me, not only with this story, but with "The Hurt Remains" and "The Masquerade". I'm going to try and use this summer to update and/or finish them. Reviews are always helpful in keeping me motivated, so if you like this story and would like me to continue, please leave a note. My motivation is a monster that sometimes solely relies on reviews, and without them, it will starve and die! Thanks very much for those of you who have followed, favorited, or reviewed already!**

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><p>An hour later, Zuko and Katara were quietly sitting atop plump pillows at General Iroh's townhouse in the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se. They both sipped hot tea carefully though their lips, as Iroh busily hurried around them, quickly pouring more as soon as they'd finished each cup. The carriage ride over had been strangely silent between the two teenagers, and even now, the little effort they made towards conversation seemed awkward.<p>

"I can't believe they thought that I was your wife," Katara murmured suddenly as she sipped delicately from her cup.

Zuko glanced at her thoughtfully. "Why? I think it could have been an honest mistake," he replied optimistically, but he knew he was just in denial.

The waterbender made a face. "That you and I were—never mind, Zuko—we've spent too much time talking about it anyway."

"What? No, now I'm interested." Zuko grinned, the expression sliding slowly across his features. He was curious about the waterbender's thoughts. Ever since this morning she'd kept them locked up tightly behind her lips. The Fire Lord wanted to find some way to coax them out.

"_Never_ _mind_, Zuko!" Katara slammed the tea cup down on the table.

Iroh shuffled over, dressed appropriately in an apron, a fresh pot of tea in his hands. "Zuko, are you being impolite?"

"Please, uncle," Zuko brushed aside the old man's curious inquiry. "Come on, Katara."

"_No_."

Zuko extended a hand towards her in a dramatic gesture. "Katara—those idiots in the Upper Ring don't know who we really are. They saw us together and they assumed something. I don't know why you're taking it so personally."

Katara glanced up and glared at the young Fire Lord, and Zuko thought he caught a glimpse of something troublesome behind those blue eyes of hers. "I'm not taking it personally, Zuko," Katara said, placing her words carefully at first. "I just can't believe…they were so forward…I mean—think about it! It's _you_ and _me_—we're just not…compatible."

Zuko's brow furrowed, and Katara almost began to regret what she had said to him. But then Zuko raised his cup. "I suppose you're right."

He drank his tea, but his eyes never left the surprised waterbender. Uncle Iroh stood there and looked thoroughly confused. "I don't know what you're both talking about—but I think you're perfectly compatible!" The old man insisted. "Look at what you two have achieved!"

"Utter failure and extreme embarrassment?" Zuko guessed.

"No," Iroh leaned close between the two teenagers. "You two infiltrated the Southern Raiders, you invaded the Fire Nation Palace, and you defeated Azula! And all of that you did together. I think you two are an excellent team combatively—we'll just have to work a bit on your political diplomacy."

The old General stood up and hurried off with his pot of tea. Katara and Zuko exchanged awkward glances, and then cast their eyes elsewhere. Suddenly they heard a knocking echoing throughout the house. Both teens turned their heads in the direction of the sound.

"Visitors?" They heard Iroh wonder aloud, and he shuffled out of sight. Zuko stood up, but stayed where he was, his eyes reflecting curiosity and alarm.

Katara heard the wooden door creak open, and many voices echoed into the house. They sounded loud and inquiring, but she could hear Iroh's booming voice over the din.

"The Fire Lord? Yes, he's here. Yes, Lady Katara too. No, no, no. I don't think so. Please…I'm sorry—I didn't get your name?"

Katara and Zuko looked towards each other with questioning looks. Zuko's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You think the Dai Li have decided to pay us a visit?" he asked.

Katara made a disapproving sound with her lips. "Zuko, I don't think Dai Li agents would bother to knock on the door!" Then the waterbender quickly got up and jogged across the room and around the corner towards the door. Zuko was quick to follow behind her.

Outside the door was a herd of bodies, each jostling one another to get closer to the entryway. One in particular seemed to take the lead, and that person—a short, strange looking woman with an ridiculously flamboyant hairdo—was speaking to Iroh.

"My name is Ling Ling Dao. I'm the chief reporter and editor-in-chief of the Ba Sing Se Press Star Gazette, and I simply must get an interview with the Fire Lord and his fiancé." The woman told Iroh matter-of-factly. She then glanced past the old man's bulk and spotted the two teenagers glancing curiously around the corner. "Ah, there are the young lovers now—may I come in?"

"Fiancé? Lovers?" Zuko wondered aloud in disbelief. "What?"

Katara immediately marched forward, shoved Iroh aside and shoved an authoritative finger in the woman's face. "Listen—I don't know who you are or why you're here, but you all have to get something straight—Zuko and I are _not _dating!"

Zuko pressed forward. "Uncle, who are these people?"

Iroh gave the young Fire Lord a sympathetic look. "They're the press. Tabloids. News must get around fast in the Upper Ring."

"Oh, extremely," Ling Ling Dao agreed with a wide, ridiculous smile, turning towards Zuko. She looked at him in a disturbing way—her smile was pleasant but it looked like a smile a cat might give a mouse just before it tried to catch and eat it. "Ling Ling Dao from the Ba Sing Se Press Star Gazette, Fire Lord Zuko. It's drippingly marvelous to see you."

"Thanks…?" Zuko breathed.

"The young Fire Lord is a very young and strapping individual," Ling Ling began to say.

At first, Zuko was baffled at her odd narrative, but then he looked past the tiny woman. Behind her, there was a crowd of goggle-eyed reporters, and as soon as she began speaking, they scribbled frantically into dozens of notebooks. When she paused, they paused. Others pulled out sketchbooks and ink, and began doodling the likenesses of Iroh, Katara, and Zuko while they stood there, staring rudely into their faces, studying them as if they were spectacles at a circus of some sort.

"He is in modest but tasteful Fire Nation dress and boasts a most interesting but mysterious-looking scar on his chiseled face," Ling Ling continued, ignoring the looks she was getting from the trio inside. "His lovely fiancé is in similar garb, and is an exotic beauty with flowing dark tresses and stunning blue eyes."

Katara looked at the crowd outside the door in disbelief. "Didn't you hear anything I just said?" She shouted. "I said Zuko and I are _not_ dating!"

The woman's thin, wrinkled lips crinkled into an 'o' quizzically. "Oh, but we were told by a _very reliable_ source that the Fire Lord was touring the city with his fiancé."

"I'm afraid their relationship was slightly exaggerated," Iroh offered with a smirk.

Zuko glanced at the woman reporter. "Why did you come here?"

"Why, to interview you, of course!"

"Please print in your paper that I'm here only to help restore balance to the city after my father's unfortunate and costly war," Zuko requested politely, and then, glancing at a still fuming Katara, he added: "And also print this—that Katara is a representative of the Southern Water Tribe here to help me—and she is nothing more than a good friend."

"Haven't you _any_ romantic attachments, Fire Lord Zuko?" Persisted the old woman, desperate for some juicy gossip to put in her tabloid.

Zuko shook his head adamantly. "Please—I came here for diplomacy only, not to have my personal life made public. Let your audience know that."

With that being said, Zuko gently shoved the woman out the door and closed the crowd of people out. He could hear their loud, irritable voices shouting through the door. He could hear their feet scraping and scuffling the pavement outside. They were leaving. Katara, Iroh, and Zuko all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Oh my, they are persistent around here aren't they?" Iroh cut through the silence. Then, noticing that both teens were giving him a look, he asked: "What?"

"You didn't know they were going to show up?" Zuko asked, his tone somewhat angry.

The old man shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "I've never seen any of them before," he excused. "I suppose an old General making tea in his home is not newsworthy."

As the General walked off, Katara crossed her arms, bit her lip, and shook her head. "I can't believe it; I just can't believe it—"

"Katara, don't start it up again," Zuko interrupted. She shot him a dagger-like look, and he added: "Listen…I already have this to deal with on top of restoring order to this city. I don't need you mad at me too."

"I'm not mad at you," Katara insisted. "I'm mad at them—them and all their assumptions!"

"What they assumed doesn't matter now! Besides, I took care of it."

"It still makes me angry!"

"They said you were beautiful," Zuko offered, earning himself an eye-roll from Katara.

"So what?" she asked.

"Well…It's true…and I don't think it's worth getting enraged about," the young Fire Lord said with a smile, and he walked away.

The waterbender stood there next to the door, surprised but unexpectedly flattered by Zuko's comment. Then she tore after him. "Zuko!" She shouted as she chased after the boy. "I can't stay here. I know they'll come back."

"Who?"

"The tabloid lady and her goonies!"

"Well, what do you want me to do about it?" Zuko inquired.

"I don't know," Katara began to pace in frustration. "Just take me somewhere away where they can't follow."

Zuko nodded, taking in the waterbender's words for a moment. Then a smile slowly creased across his features. "I know exactly the place. Follow me."

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><p><span><strong>PERSONAL THINGY:<strong>

Yes, I know. It was a terribly short chapter. But the story needed a break right here Riiight here. Right here was perfect. The next chapter should be longer (9,000+ words, people!) and definitely more interesting. Wait till you see where Zuko will take Katara!


	7. Two Cups of Tea

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Shoot.

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><p>Fifteen minutes after the tabloid lady had left with her assorted gaggle of scribes and illustrators, Katara and Zuko were sneaking between the hedges of the Upper Tier expanses, clad in simple green-brown robes. Zuko had let his hair down and left his crown at General Iroh's home. They no longer looked like the Fire Lord and his female counterpart, and they accented their lack of glamour by awkwardly climbing through the foliage, attempting to keep out of sight.<p>

"Ack!" Katara exclaimed as a long strand of hair caught on a twig. She struggled to untangle herself, and Zuko arrived quickly to her side to help. "Remind me again why we are doing this, Zuko?"

The Fire Lord stepped into the hedge and carefully released the waterbender's hair from the branch. "Because where we're going, if we dressed like we were before we'd be mugged for sure."

"The Lower Ring? We're going there? Why?" Katara correctly guessed, and then continued her inquiry.

"Because," Zuko explained slowly as he climbed through yet another hedge, "I don't think the Tabloid Lady will be so desperate as to follow us there. Watch out for this branch here."

Katara seemed unimpressed. "Oh," she murmured as she avoided the branch. "Well, what are we going to do there?"

"I'll show you when we get there," Zuko replied teasingly.

The Fire Lord climbed out from the other side of hedge and helped Katara pull herself out as well. Then he glanced at her and lightly chuckled. Katara's eyes narrowed and she placed her hands on her hips. "What's so funny?"

"You have a ton of leaves stuck in your hair," Zuko attempted to hide his smile with his hand. "You look like a leaf monster."

Katara frowned for a second, but the power of the former Prince's amused gaze suddenly overcame her, and she smiled too. Her hands reached up, patted her hair, and felt the itchy, scratchy remnants of leaves and twigs poking out from beneath her locks. She laughed now, imagining how ridiculous she must look.

"Will you help me?" She asked shyly, her eyes fluttering towards Zuko's.

Zuko's smile stayed cemented on his face. "Sure," he replied, and he stepped closer while Katara drooped her head so he could pick out the leaves.

Katara watched from the corner of her eyes as Zuko's hands worked gently to free her long, dark tresses from the tangle of leaves that adorned her head. She briefly wondered where Zuko could possibly be taking her in the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se. She looked up at the newly crowned Fire Lord's face—his golden yellow eyes were delicately shadowed by his downcast eyelids; yet they still seemed to glow like a small fire was behind each one. An equally delicate smile was upon Zuko's face as he continued to work on her hair. It almost looked strange—the way his lips curved uncertainly upward—as if Zuko hadn't smiled in so long that he'd forgotten how to. As the waterbender regarded him, she recalled once more the Zuko she'd first met a year ago—the angry, angst-ridden teen bent on regaining honor and brooding constantly.

"Katara, you're staring at me," The Fire Lord suddenly said, in a soft, serious tone. The waterbender was flustered.

"Sorry," she excused, nervously laughing.

Zuko picked the last leaf from the waterbender's hair and gestured for her to stand up straight. The two locked eyes, and there was a clash of flashing gold and icy blue. Zuko's smile faded into an expression of wonderment as he gazed at Katara, but then he noticed how uncomfortably close they were standing together. Almost as if she were thinking the same thing, the waterbender smiled to mask her embarrassment, then laughed nervously again and stepped away from him. She turned her head away from Zuko, but the young Fire Lord still saw a light stain of blush fill her tanned cheeks.

The two benders walked on, side by side, continuing to cut through the vast, green yards of the Upper Ring expanses. They were approaching a wall, and Katara felt the urge to remind Zuko that neither one of them were earthbenders and that the wall wouldn't move for them. As they got closer, however, she saw a large, ancient tree growing precariously close to the tall, rocky barrier. The trees branches easily surpassed the height of the wall.

Katara hesitantly followed as Zuko approached the tree and then began to scale the various, twisted branches of the tree. The Fire Lord turned and looked down at the waterbender still on the ground and then extended a hand downward to help her.

"Come on," he encouraged.

After a moment's hesitation, Katara reached up a tentative, delicate hand and Zuko grabbed it and hoisted her up beside him on a branch. Katara gasped as Zuko nonchalantly placed a hand on her back to steady her, but thankfully her reaction was quiet enough for the firebender to not have noticed. The wind whistled as it blew gently through the tree branches, tickling the leaves, and the two benders climbed higher.

Zuko carefully inched out towards the wall, and then in one leap, he jumped from the tree to its rocky crest. He stood there for a moment, and then turned to Katara. The Fire Lord smirked and then disappeared over the edge of the wall.

Katara frowned and hugged the branches of the three for comfort. Her tree-climbing skills were like her ability to cook—they could use some definite work. Cautiously, the waterbender made her way to the end of a branch and stretched out one foot, setting it gently upon the top of the rocky wall. She gently shifted her weight, then crouched, and looked down. Zuko was waiting below her, looking up at her curiously.

"How am I supposed to get down!?" Katara asked, her voice a shout over the sound of the wind.

She saw Zuko make a face, then smile. "Just jump!" he urged, gesturing for her to obey him.

The girl made a nervous face, but then closed her eyes and did just that. She felt the cool air rushing out from under her as she fell, and then suddenly her legs struck the earth, coiling and recoiling, sending Katara into a summersault along the grassy dirt. She groaned as she clumsily sat up, and looked up at Zuko's amused face. The waterbender didn't give the Fire Lord a chance to poke at her pride.

"Why didn't you catch me?" She asked with a hint of anger in her voice.

Zuko blinked. "I was supposed to catch you?"

"Yes! That would have been the gentlemanly thing to do!"

The Fire Lord extended down a hand and helped Katara up. The waterbender shot him on last glare and then turned around, brushing the dirt-and-grass clumps from her body as Zuko smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry," he apologized sincerely. "How about next time I catch you?"

Katara turned around, and found herself surprised by how badly Zuko seemed to feel about not catching her. His face was wrought with guilt, and his eyes flickered up at her shyly. The waterbender instantly felt guilty herself and rushed forward to place a reassuring hand on the firebender's shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay," she told him. "I was only kidding!"

Zuko's expression instantly switched, and he blinked his yellow eyes. "I guess you got me," he told her, slightly embarrassed by the way he'd reacted. "Good one."

"I'm pretty tricky," Katara agreed, throwing Zuko a smile. "Shall we continue to whichever mysterious place you're taking me?"

"Sure," The Fire Lord nodded and returned the gesture. But then he turned back. "But I'm still catching you next time."

"Agreed," confirmed the waterbender.

The two teens continued on their small journey towards the Lower Ring. They crossed the campus of Ba Sing Se's University and were given many strange looks from the various students hurrying about the grounds. Zuko supposed that their Lower Tier clothing was drawing them attention and hurried Katara to the next wall, which was larger but much more easily surpassed. The two benders simply presented themselves to the guards standing next to it. The two large, muscled earthbenders look one look at the simply-dressed couple and announced that they were not allowed in the Middle Ring. After giving Zuko and Katara a stern, short lecture about the importance of the walls, they allowed them to pass into the lower part of the city without any other incident.

Katara followed Zuko obediently as he weaved a complicated path through the Lower Ring's maze of small buildings, darkened alleyways, and dusty streets. It was obvious the firebender had spent a considerable amount of time here—he knew where he was going. As to where that was, Katara was still at a loss. She'd never heard much from Zuko of his time spent among the refugees in Ba Sing Se, but she was sure she'd find out something after today.

After a few minutes of walking, Katara was itching to ask Zuko once more where their final destination might be. But just as the waterbender opened her mouth to question the boy, Zuko stopped suddenly in front of a very small, quaint tea shop. The firebender shot Katara a smirk and then went inside.

Baffled, Katara stood outside the teahouse door for a moment, then stomped her way inside after Zuko. She reached forward and grabbed the firebender by the shoulder, spinning him around.

"Tea?!" Katara asked, clearly not understanding. "You brought me all this way for tea?!"

Zuko looked past Katara for a moment, brushed away her hand and then smiled again. "This isn't just any teahouse," he murmured quietly.

"You are becoming more and more like your uncle everyday!"

As Katara stood there wallowing in her confusion, an eager-looking, petite, and middle-aged man approached them. She paused her tirade as he grew closer, and watched with amazement when the man's face suddenly burst into a huge smile when he laid eyes on Zuko. Suddenly, the man lunged forward, until he was practically in Zuko's arms.

"Lee!" Rejoiced the man. "You've come back!"

Zuko smiled warmly. "Hello, Pao."

"Have you come back to work?" Suddenly asked the man, glancing all around the tea shop with excited eyes. "Where's your uncle?"

"Sorry Pao, but I'm only here on a visit. Uh…my uncle isn't here either." Zuko said apologetically, and the man's face drooped in misery. The Fire Lord now glanced at Katara, who was staring at both the men with a clearly perplexed expression now. "But my friend and I will both have a cup of tea. Do you still have Uncle's recipe?"

"Ah, it's a gift! The only thing that keeps me in business!" exclaimed Pao, as he quickly recovered from his loss and hastily scurried over to the kitchen.

Zuko walked slowly over to the tea shop's counter, with a still-confused Katara trailing behind him. The waterbender nudged the Fire Lord with her elbow, and he looked down at her. Katara opened her mouth to bombard Zuko with questions, but at that moment Pao reemerged with two cups of steaming tea in his hands.

"Two cups of your Uncle's special-recipe tea!" He announced happily. "That will be one copper piece each, please."

Zuko produced the money from his sleeve and handed it to the tea shop owner with a smile and a polite bow. The two benders took their tea and moved to a table located in the corner of the tea shop. As soon as they sat down, Katara cast her most suspicious gaze upon the young Fire Lord. It didn't take long for Zuko to notice, and he placed his cup down and blinked at the waterbender.

"What?"

"_Lee?_"

"Something wrong with that name?"

"Yes—it's not yours."

"Well, I couldn't have kept my real name while I was working here in the Lower Ring, could I?" Zuko smiled slightly and took another sip of his tea.

Katara frowned, not satisfied with the firebender's sly, half-answers. She gazed with wandering, searching eyes around the small tea shop interior, then turned back to the Fire Lord. "You worked here?" she asked, leaning over the table towards him, eyes wide. "And your uncle too?"

"I thought that much was obvious." Zuko snickered.

"How was I supposed to know that?" Katara scowled as best as she could, but for some reason the sight of Zuko smiling carelessly made it hard. She pressed in with her insistent inquiry. "I know that you and your uncle worked in a tea shop, because I saw you. But that was in the Upper Ring of the city. When did you work here?"

Zuko's eyes narrowed and he glanced towards her. "When did you see me working in the Upper Ring?"

"Right before we both were thrown into prison," answered the waterbender promptly. "I saw you, and then ran to get help. But unfortunately I ran to the Kyoshi warriors—who were really your sister and her friends in disguise."

"So you're the one who ratted me out!" The young Fire Lord's face lit up in realization. "I always wondered how Azula found out that Uncle and I were living there."

"Very interesting," commented Katara impatiently. "But seriously—when did you work in this place?"

"When my uncle and I first came to Ba Sing Se. We came as refugees, knowing that this would be the only place where the Fire Nation couldn't reach us. We changed our names, forged passports—everything," Zuko's brow creased as he recalled the past, and he swallowed the last of his tea in one large gulp. "We probably worked in this place a few months, at least. I didn't know that you were here with Aang and the others until later on."

As soon as the young Fire Lord set his empty cup down, Pao circled over, like a shark that had been circling its weakened pray. The man had an impossibly wide grin on his face as he raised a teapot in front of the two benders.

"Would you like another cup of tea, Lee?" He asked, as eager as ever.

"Is it my uncle's brew?"

"Of course!"

"Sure, and another for my friend, please."

Katara began to protest, but Zuko shot her a look. She rolled her eyes at him and then shoved her cup forward, watching as the hot liquid poured from Pao's teapot into it. Pao filled Zuko's cup next, and the firebender presented the tea maker with two more copper pieces. Then he pulled out a silver piece—worth ten copper pieces—and handed it to a stunned Pao.

"It's a tip," Zuko explained as the shop keep's eyed the piece with admiration.

The tea maker's hand lashed out and grasped the silver piece, quickly shoving it into the deep pockets of his robes. He took his tea pot, politely bowed and smiled towards the two teenagers, and then scurried off. Katara didn't hesitate to start conversation once again. She was very curious about this unknown gap of time in the young Fire Lord's past. She couldn't quite place why.

"You must have liked it here," she mentioned casually, referring to the generous gesture Zuko had just made towards his former employer.

Zuko's mouth pressed tightly, and his eyes grew a bit darker. "Actually, I hated every second I spent here—with a few exceptions."

"Why did you hate it?"

"I was unsatisfied with such a humble life. I was still fixated on what I thought my destiny was, and how I could somehow still achieve it."

"You still wanted to find Aang, didn't you?"

"Yes. Even thought I'd been labeled a traitor and a criminal in the Fire Nation, I still had this hope that my father would welcome me back if I captured the Avatar."

Katara's eyes fluttered from her steaming tea to Zuko and back again. "Well, you kind of got what you wanted."

"Look how that turned out," Zuko shot back, with a hint of dark humor in his voice. His eyes grew slightly sad, but then the firebender turned towards Katara and forced a smile onto his face. "At least now things are much better for everyone."

Katara nodded in agreement, returning the uncertain, shy smile. She racked her mind for a different subject to talk about. She didn't like to remind herself or Zuko of his mistakes. She knew that he felt terrible about them—that he still was haunted with the choices he'd made in the past. Zuko's sincere, pleading promises to her before they began their journey here had clearly shown her that.

"So…how did you come from here to the Upper Ring tea shop I saw you in?" the waterbender asked, taking a sip of her tea, and smiling.

Zuko glanced at her, and saw her kind expression. It seemed to lift his spirits. "Well, my uncle made his own tea to sell here, and it became popular. One day a business man from the Upper Ring came in, and offered Uncle his own tea shop and a new apartment there. His only condition was that he would partially invest in the profits. Naturally, my uncle couldn't resist."

Katara giggled lightly, a sound that Zuko thought sounded like the trickling of clear water from a brook. "That sure sounds like Iroh," she mused.

Zuko smiled gently back at her, and suddenly stood up, stepping away from their table. Katara had failed to realize that the young Fire Lord had swallowed his second cup to tea even faster than the first; he was finished already. Quickly, she gulped down the remainder of her second cup, then got up and followed alongside him.

"What are we doing now?" Katara asked, confused as the firebender walked once more to the front counter of the tea shop. He stood in line behind a girl who was also waiting for Pao to come out of the kitchen.

"I'm just going to say 'goodbye' to Pao," Zuko said quietly.

A moment passed between the two benders, and Katara shrugged to herself and patiently waited beside the firebender. After a minute and Pao hadn't yet emerged, she glanced questioningly up towards the young Fire Lord, and noticed a strange expression on his face.

Zuko was staring very intently at the girl standing ahead of him in line. His eyes were narrowed into slits, and his mouth was turned into a thoughtful—not threatening—frown. The Fire Lord looked like he was concentrating very hard on the bushy, brunette ponytail that sat near the top of the girl's head. Katara's eyes darted from the oblivious girl to Zuko and back again. The waterbender wondered how on earth a person could withstand a gaze as heated as Zuko's without noticing.

Just as Katara was about to discreetly remind Zuko that staring at people was rude, the firebender opened his mouth. Nothing came out at first, and he closed his lips again into a tight, red line. Then, he attempted once more. This time, one word came out.

"Jin?"

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><p><em><strong>PERSONAL THINGY:<strong>_

There is no excuse for this chapter's lateness…I am deeply sorry. Please forgive, and if you feel I'm deserving enough, leave a review!


	8. An Unexpected Encounter

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ or its characters. But I'll be damned if I don't love the heck out of them.

**Author's ****Note**** Excuses: ** Once again this chapter is horribly, appallingly, unforgivably late. I don't really have a lot of excuses besides that my muse has moved on to other fandoms. But I still managed to bang out this last chapter after revisiting a few episodes of AtLA over this summer. PS: There may be some stray typos in here since I mostly wrote it in the dead of night with much sleep deprivation and copious amounts of caffeine pumping through my sluggish brain. I'm really trying not to give up on any of my Avatar stories; it's just going to take a ton of time to finish them all. Thanks for those of you who have stuck with me, especially _ML7_ – you rock and I love you! Anyway, since it's been so long since I posted the last chapter, here's a quick recap:

_Zuko and Katara, having been suspected of being a couple by the aristocratic population of Ba Sing Se, strive to separate themselves from their newfound celebrity. They sneak away to the city's lower ring, where they visit the old tea house where Zuko used to work. While waiting in line to say goodbye to his former employer, Zuko notices that the girl with the messy braid ahead of him looks awfully familiar…_

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><p>"Jin?" asked the Zuko timidly, and his intense gaze transformed into an unsure, nervous expression.<p>

The girl in front of him glanced over her shoulder, blinked once in surprise, and then suddenly whirled around. Her face was as bright as the morning sun with her smile, and she stared at Zuko with giant, sparkling green eyes.

"_Lee!_" The girl gasped in disbelief, and she lurched backward against the counter, as if Zuko's very presence had beat her back. "I can't believe it's you!"

Zuko blinked in response to the girl's reaction to seeing him, but he smiled. "Jin, it's good to see you."

Katara frowned and her eyes darted between the two standing in front of her. She was confused, and she was a little bit angry—to her great surprise. She'd enjoyed the time she'd spent alone with Zuko talking. Now a sudden, unexpected third party was entering the picture, and Katara felt uncertain about it. Who was this girl, anyway?

"How have you been, Jin?" Zuko spoke first, his voice a mixture of kindness and concern. "I'm glad to see you're alright after all that's happened here."

Jin's eyes shifted down to the ground, and she smiled sadly. "Well, I've been fine. The Fire Nation invading the city was scary, but that's been defeated. How are you?"

"I'm…uh…doing well," Zuko blurted out unsteadily, unsure of how to explain his situation during the Fire Nation occupation. Luckily, Jin didn't mention it.

"Where have you been?" the girl repeated her first question, sighing heavily. "I didn't know what happened to you after…that night."

Zuko's eyes shied away from hers as they looked up at him for answers. He didn't want to have to make up ridiculous lies again to this girl. She'd been deceived about him enough. "Uh…I've been traveling a lot," he finally choked out.

"Oh—have you rejoined the circus?"

Katara heard that bit, and despite her confusion, she couldn't help a small smirk from crawling up her cheeks. She glanced at Zuko teasingly, but the young Fire Lord was still focused on the other girl. Gradually, Katara's amused expression faded.

Zuko was at a loss for words, but he managed to spit out a few words from his fumbling lips. "Uh—no! I didn't rejoin the circus."

"Then where have you been all this time?"

The firebender sighed. He didn't want to lie anymore to Jin. She had been the only other person his age that had actually shown him kindness during the entire time he'd spent in the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se. He felt like for all the kindheartedness she had showed, and how he'd left her so suddenly and without a decent explanation the night they'd gone on a date—that he owed her the truth.

Finally, Zuko glanced back at the eager-eyed girl. He couldn't hide the nervousness from his voice. "Um…listen Jin, I have a lot to tell you, but I'd rather do that in a less public place. Do you know anywhere we can go?"

Confusion crossed Jin's face for a moment, but then her wide, white smile returned. "Sure! We can go to my father's Inn; it's just a few streets down from here."

"That would be great," sighed Zuko in relief, and then he looked at Katara expectedly.

Only when the young Fire Lord's gaze fell upon the waterbender did Jin notice the girl standing next to Zuko. She gasped dramatically and placed a hand over her mouth, looking at the other girl, who glared at both of them.

"I'm so sorry," Jin apologized profusely. "Were you in line? We didn't mean to hold it up."

Katara made a face, insulted, and then turned her azure eyes at Zuko in a heated gaze. Zuko realized that he'd completely left Katara out of their conversation—he'd even forgotten to introduce the two girls. He understood why Katara looked slightly miffed. He turned towards Jin and smiled sheepishly.

"Actually, she's with me," he said, feeling like a fool. "This is Katara. Katara—this is Jin."

Instantly the excited expression on Jin's face changed. "Oh, pleased to meet you," she said quickly, not sounding so pleased at all.

"Charmed," Katara replied, her eyes darting to Zuko. "_Lee_ has told me _so much_ about you." She emphasized his phony Earth Kingdom alias, and Zuko gave her a hard look and a miniscule shake of his head.

There was a tense moment between the three teens, until Jin finally spoke; her voice was a quieter, sadder version of itself. "Well, she's welcome to come along to my father's Inn. Just let me tell Pao to cancel my order."

The girl leaned her small, skinny frame over the counter and shouted into the kitchen. Pao heard the message, poked his head out from the kitchen door, and frowned. But as soon as he saw Zuko standing behind Jin, he smiled knowingly and nodded. Jin placed a copper piece on the counter for the man's troubles, and then briskly trotted out the door, with Zuko and Katara following closely behind her.

Katara walked along with Zuko as Jin led the way down the dusty cobblestone street. It was now about noon, and the sun was high in the sky. The morning had brought a few clouds, but by now they'd all fled the sky, leaving a huge, strikingly blue dome of sky stretched over the city. She breathed in the warm air, and the long sigh she let out seemed to take with it her aggravated feelings. The waterbender turned her head and looked at Zuko, who was walking, expressionless, beside her. She didn't like not knowing what he was thinking, but she couldn't ask now.

After a few minutes they reached their destination—a large, rectangular, and wooden building with sloping roofs and a few tattered paper lanterns hanging beside the door. A large sign hanging above them displayed the humble inn's name: The Golden Boar. Gingerly, Jin opened the door and gestured for both benders to step inside.

"It's not much," she explained modestly. "But it keeps my father and I from starving."

Zuko and Katara stepped inside the door, and looked around the interior of the Inn curiously. The same wooden planks that adorned the outside also were visible on the inside walls, but they had been sanded smooth and glossed with some sort of darker stain. The floor was made of large slabs of gray tile that had become cracked in some corners. Lanterns lit the space where sunlight couldn't reach, and along the wall small trinkets were hung as decorations. At the end of the large room, there was a small counter in one corner. Behind the counter there was a large, black bookcase, overstuffed with books and papers. In the opposite corner there was a staircase ascending upward, and behind that a hallway which—Zuko guessed—led to the first floor rooms. It was all very quaint—but comfortable and cozy-looking. It made the young Fire Lord instantly feel welcome.

"Hi, Dad!" greeted Jin enthusiastically, and suddenly a head popped out from behind the counter in the corner of the room. It was round, with a box-like hat covering a balding head, and had kind, tired eyes.

The head smiled as Jin skipped forward. "Ah—Hello Jin. What brings you home so soon from the tea shop? You didn't bring me a cup, did you?"

Jin frowned and shook her head. "Sorry, Dad—I didn't get any tea. But I brought home some friends."

"Friends?" the head swiveled around and glanced across the room at Zuko and Katara, who stepped slowly forward.

"This is Lee, and this is Katara," Jin introduced politely. "Lee, Katara—this is Chang, my father."

The man behind the counter stood up, and Zuko bowed politely. "Nice to meet you, sir," he greeted, and watched as Katara did the same.

"It's my pleasure to meet both of you, Lee and Katara," replied the man nodding his head. He turned his round face towards his daughter. "Will they need a room or two?"

Jin laughed softly and shook her head. "No, they're just visiting. Right?"

Zuko and Katara nodded and smiled politely at the girl's father. "Well, then I'm sure Jin will see to it that you're most welcome," said Chang with a kindly smile. "Forgive me for not participating, but I have a lot of work to do. Jin, make our guests comfortable. Why don't you make them a pot of the house tea?"

"Actually, we were only staying briefly," Zuko suddenly blurted, his eyes darting nervously towards Jin. "I just needed to talk to Jin for a moment."

Jin's face fell slightly, but she approached the firebender and stood in front of him, her emerald eyes gazing at him expectedly. "Okay, so what did you need to tell me that was so private?"

Zuko glanced down at Jin, then at Katara. "Um…could it be a little more private?" He watched sympathetically as the waterbender tried to hide another unpleasant frown.

"Uh…sure," Jin said uncertainly. She glanced towards her father. "Dad, can we use your office?"

Chang's head popped up once again from behind the counter. "Hm? Oh, yes."

Jin glanced back up at Zuko, smiled shyly, and then gestured towards a door on the far wall, next to the counter. Katara watched, her irritation increasing, as Zuko followed Jin inside and closed the door behind him.

Inside, the small office was dark and smelled mildly of dust and ink. Jin crossed the undersized space and threw open the curtains that covered a tiny window. Suddenly, a beam of sunlight flooded the room, and Zuko shielded his eyes until they adjusted to the change in light. He watched as Jin approached him slowly, her eyes flickering hesitantly up to met his. In this small space, the two teens were forced to press uncomfortably close to each other, and Jin pressed herself against the edge of a desk on the wall opposite Zuko. She smiled at him shyly, and finally Zuko gathered the courage to open his mouth to tell her the truth.

But it was Jin who beat him to the punch. "She's very beautiful," she choked out awkwardly, staring up at him. "I can see why you like her."

"Who?" Zuko blinked at the unexpected comment, completely baffled.

Jin looked just as confused, and her green eyes darted from the young firebender to the door. "Um…Katara," she said uncertainly. "She is your girlfriend right? You said that you were together."

Zuko felt like slamming his head into the wall. Why did everyone who encountered them in this city think that he and Katara were an item? Instantly he leaned forward, extending his arms towards Jin in a search for some understanding.

"No, Jin! You've got it all completely wrong!" he looked at the startled girl with a pleadingly desperate look on his face. "Katara isn't my girlfriend—she's just a good friend. We've been through a lot together lately, and she's helping me take care of business here."

Jin's surprise melted away to reveal a slight pink blushing in her cheeks. Her hands reached up to hide it. "Oh, I see," she whispered, humiliated. "It was silly of me to think so—I'm sorry."

"That's fine," Zuko excused, and then—just as uncomfortably—he began to speak. "Listen, Jin…about that night by the fountain…"

Jin let out a tiny gasp at the memory, and then turned her eyes away. "It's okay, Lee. You don't have to explain. I know that I came on kind of strong, but I guess you didn't like me as much as I liked you."

"No, Jin—I liked you," Zuko confessed with a heavy sigh.

The girl's eyes popped wide open and she gazed at him in shock. "Really?"

"Yes—very much," Zuko confessed.

"Then why—"

Zuko suddenly took a step forward and grasped the stunned girl by the shoulders gently. "Jin, please…It had nothing to do with you. Remember when I told you that it was complicated? Well—it was much, much more complicated than it seemed."

"I—I don't understand, Lee." Jin stuttered, her eyes growing wider.

Zuko released his hold on the girl and stepped back, sucking in a breath of dusty, warm air. "There's so much to tell—Jin, when you and I went on our…date…there were things that I didn't tell you about myself. And—and there were things I told you about myself that weren't entirely truthful."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not who you think I am," Zuko declared, his eyes flickering downward shamefully. "I lied to you, Jin. And despite appearances, I do care about you, and I do want you to know the truth."

Jin swallowed audibly. "Okay," she said, practically whispering. "The truth…will I like the truth?"

The firebender's yellow eyes flashed up towards her face. "I don't know," he answered uncertainly. "But I hope you'll understand…no matter what I say."

The girl tilted her head, glanced downward, and paused in thought for a moment, as if mulling over her choices in her head. Zuko tried to imagine what kind of things she might be considering, but was relieved when she seemed to settle on exactly what he wanted: Patiently listening to his story. Jin smiled as she looked up again and nodded, prompting him to begin.

Zuko took a deep breath, and began.

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><p><strong>PERSONAL THINGY:<strong>

Hopefull that will be enough to hold your interest for now! Thanks again to my wonderful reviewers from the last chapter:

**Mikhaila:** That's a very pretty name you've got there. Thanks for your support! As I mentioned in my author's note above, I'm trying very hard to keep writing, despite my interest in new fandoms and the business of everyday life. Katara and Zuko will always be my AtLA OTP as well! Thank you!

**ML7:** My friend, how can I thank you any more than I already have? You have always been there for me. At this point…it's been at least 6 or 7 years you've been following me. Thank you for being so wonderful. I'm sorry I couldn't reciprocate with more stories and updates. One thing I wanted to let you know is to check out the author Ness Frost's stories – she and I met on a Dragon Ball Z fan forum last year and since then she's watched AtLA and has written some absolutely awesome fics, including many about Zuko, Iroh, and I believe she's writing the Zutara story to end all Zutara stories. I urge you to check her out in my absence, but I will not give up! Thanks again, dearie!

**Shiningheart of the Thunderclan:** Haha, I never actually thought of Zuko taking Katara to the fountain, but that's a really great idea! I don't think I was perfectly clear in this chapter about why Jin is at the tea shop, but it's because she simply kept visiting the place even after Zuko had gone. Perhaps in a hope that she'd see him again? Wish granted! Thanks very much for your review!

**Jason9000:** Hey there again! Hope you're well. Thanks for reading and reviewing my story! I'll answer your question, although now that you've had a few months to catch up on sleep (or not – LOL!) it might be more clear which girl this is – Jin is the girl that Zuko went with on a date during his time living anonymously in Ba Sing Se. June was the bounty hunter. That's actually an interesting idea, including her. I'll think about it! Thanks very much for your kind words!


	9. Confessions

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, just my plot!

**Author's ****Note****/Excuse/Apology (Again): **First of all, I swear on Zuko's Almighty Ponytail that this is not an April Fool's joke. I got another chapter done…HUZZAH! Sorry it's so short. I got nostalgic while finishing Legend of Korra recently and wanted to revisit my AtLA fandom once again! Look out for typos—I'm too eager to post to check to errors. I apologize if you find any, but if you do, do me a solid and leave a review so I can fix it. I'm struggling a little bit with how many stories I still have to finish, along with all of the new plot bunnies that plague my mind. One person cannot possibly write all the ideas in my head, but by God, I'm gonna try! Thanks to everyone who has had the faith to stick around, review, favorite, or add an alert to this story—you are the fuel to my fire!

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><p>Zuko bit his lip and sucked the air in between his teeth. He'd never imagined this would be so difficult, but he had to tell the truth about himself. Jin deserved that much. As he worked up the courage to confess his true identity, his eyes cradled the girl's own in an intense stare. A moment passed, and her small mouth parted for a moment as she too sucked in an uneasy breath. One hand rose up and grasped a bit of her wild ponytail, and she twisted her tresses between her fingers. Finally, the Fire Lord took a deep breath and began his story.<p>

"First of all, Lee is not my real name—and I never worked for a traveling circus as a juggler." His eyes dropped to the floor and then darted back up in embarrassment.

"That's not hard to believe," Jin unexpectedly giggled, breaking the tenseness stretching between them momentarily. Then her face fell, and she became serious again. "But—if you're not Lee, then what his your name?"

Zuko closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He felt as if his logic and his emotions were having a tug-of-war with his conscious. On one hand, if he told Jin what his real identity was, she might hate him and scorn him forever. However, on the other hand, he desperately wanted to right his previous wrongs by telling Jin the truth. He only hoped that she would take the news well—that she would understand his reasons for telling her—and that she would forgive him for his past mistakes.

"My name…is Zuko," he finally breathed, and he watched as the breath from his lips distorted and tumbled the dust that hung in the air. His confession reached Jin's ears, but she didn't react as expected.

"Zuko?" she echoed, the foreign name rolling off her tongue. "That's an unusual name."

"That's because it's not an Earth Kingdom name," Zuko explained. "It's Fire Nation."

The Fire Lord watched intently as the realization slowly sunk in, and Jin's expression changed from one of thoughtfulness to one of shock. Her jaw dropped and a loud gasp escaped her mouth. "You—you're Fire Nation?" she asked, her voice desperate for some sign that the boy was pulling a cruel joke. "H—how?"

"My uncle and I came to this city to begin a new life," Zuko continued on with his lengthy explanation. "But now you understand why I had to lie to you about who I was. If I'd told you the truth, we could have been imprisoned."

Jin leaned away from him, and it pained Zuko to watch her act as if she were genuinely frightened of him for the first time. But her eyes never looked away from his, and she didn't scream or try to escape out the door. Instead she stared at him, and the hand that had been playing with locks of her long, brunette hair gently wavered over to cover her quivering lips.

"Is…is that it? That's the truth?" she whispered through her hand.

Zuko shook his head, and inwardly he cringed. Now he was getting to the hard part. "That's some of it—but not all. I'm not just _any _Fire Nation citizen, Jin."

"What?"

"I'm a person of great importance to my country. When—when I met you—I was…" Zuko paused to take another deep breath in hopes that additional air would calm the loud thundering of his heart. "I was the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. _Prince_ Zuko."

Jin practically fell to the floor, and her hands gripped the edge of the desk behind her as if she were clinging to life itself. "What?! You're—you're_-Prince_?"

"Well—I was a Prince. But now I'm different."

"You—you mean—you're good, right? You're not evil?" Jin seemed to be recovering from her shock, but she looked at the firebender with accusing eyes and a suspicious heart. "You didn't come here to spy on the Earth Kingdom?"

Zuko smiled at her sadly. "Of course I'm not evil, and I'm not a spy. I'm _nothing_ like my father, Fire Lord Ozai…but that's not what I mean by different. I'm not Prince of the Fire Nation anymore. I helped the Avatar defeat my father, and—and—someone had to take his place."

"Wha—what?"

"Jin, I'm the Fire Lord now," Zuko let the truth spill freely from his lips. "And I'm working to help the rest of the world instead of conquer them. That's why I'm here in Ba Sing Se—to help it recover from my father's Invasion, and to let everyone here learn the truth about the war."

The young Fire Lord shrugged his shoulders uncertainly and continued. "I'm so sorry I was forced to lie to you before. But I'm glad I met you—because honestly—you were one of the only people who showed me kindness during the time my Uncle and I were trying to survive here. I'm happy I got the chance to tell you the truth and to thank you for the compassion you showed me."

Again, Jin could only stare at the young man standing so vulnerably in front of her. She felt the need to sit down, but there was not a seat in this room, so leaning heavily on the counter behind her was her only relief. Finally, she took a few deep breaths, and then a sudden realization dawned on her, and she gasped.

Zuko's eyes widened in alarm. "What? What is it?"

Jin's eyes had grown wide as well. "I…kissed…the _Fire Prince_?!" Her reaction was caught somewhere between excitement and what Zuko perceived to be disgust.

"Yes, you did," he confirmed quietly. "I'm sorry I had to tell you this way."

"We're still friends though, right?" The girl suddenly asked, her unusual question taking the Fire Lord off guard. He blinked at her, surprised.

"Well, yes…if you want."

Jin shrugged and exhaled a long breath. Her green eyes reflected shyly up towards him. "I guess that…even after all—all that you told me—that I still like you…so yes, I want to be friends."

Zuko finally allowed himself a breath, washing some of the nervous energy from his body. "Good. I was so afraid you'd hate me after I told you."

"I don't think I could hate anybody for trying to tell the truth," Jin admitted with a small smile gracing her pink lips. Zuko returned the expression.

"Thank you, Jin."

"No, thank you…uh…what was your real name again?"

"Zuko."

Jin played with the sound of his name, rolling it around her mouth. "Zuko. ZU-ko. Okay, I think I'll remember now," she bounced a little on her feet and moved away from the counter. "You know, I actually kind of like that name."

"It's much better than Lee, anyway," the firebender agreed.

Jin laughed; it was a pretty sound. "Okay, _Zuko_, maybe we should get out of here. My dad could get suspicious."

"Wait, Jin!" Zuko reached forward and clutched the girl's upper arm as she turned to open the office door. "I have to ask you a favor."

Questions formed in Jin's eyes, and she regarded the young Fire Lord curiously before turning back towards him. "What is it?"

"I don't want you or your father to suffer from any kind of…attention…because I came here. He can know who I am—he's going to wonder what I told you, and I don't want to lie, but will you please not tell anyone else who Katara and I really are, alright?" Zuko's fiery gaze held hers steadfastly as he spoke.

Jin nodded slowly. "Of course," she promised softly. Then she scowled unpleasantly. "Wait—if you're the Fire Lord—then who is Katara? Is she your royal bodyguard or something?"

Zuko glanced at her once more in surprise, and then had to laugh. It pressed itself out from his lungs in a pleasant huff, and he leaned forward and shook his head. "No, Katara's not a bodyguard," he told Jin, still laughing. "She's my friend. She's one of the ones who helped Avatar Aang and I defeat my father."

"Oh, so she must be a warrior," Jin guessed.

"She's a very powerful waterbender—probably one of the best in the world," Zuko confirmed. He smiled warmly. "She's also one of the best friends I've ever had."

There was an awkward pause between the two teens, until finally Jin replied.

"You're lucky to have her with you," she said, gesturing towards the outside where Katara was waiting.

Zuko cast a warm, grateful gaze upon the girl. "I'm lucky in more ways than one," he said softly and meaningfully. "Thank you, Jin. I meant it when I said that meeting you was one of the only positive experiences I had in this city. I'm so grateful for that."

Jin could only stare back into Zuko's powerful golden eyes for a moment before she felt a familiar hot blush creeping up her cheeks. Her eyes flickered downward, towards the dust-covered floor, and the two youths stood awkwardly another moment. Finally, Zuko moved towards the door, grasping the antique brass knob and turning it.

"Well, maybe it's time to introduce me properly to your father," he said, preparing to swing open the door.

Jin's enamored smile suddenly disappeared. "Oh, no…let's give my dad a chance to get to know you before he finds out who you are," she said in a whisper, so those outside couldn't hear. "He might have a heart attack."

"I suppose that's sensible," Zuko agreed after a moment to ponder.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the wooden door. Both teen's heads snapped up towards it as they heard the familiar rapping coming from the other side. Zuko and Jin exchanged confused glances before either one spoke.

"Uh…hello?" Jin asked uncertainly.

"Zuko?" The anxious-sounding voice of Katara reached them through the wood. "We have a problem out here!"

Zuko frowned, and then cast a worried glance at Jin, who moved to be at his side. The Fire Lord opened the door, and gasped. Katara grabbed him and pulled him out quickly, apparently in an attempt to escape from the Inn with him, but the two benders and Jin were quickly surrounded by a crowd of shouting, scurrying people. Zuko muttered a few curses under his breath, and then tried to shield both girls behind him as the crowd converged towards him. At the crowd's head, a familiar face smiled its feline smile.

"Fire Lord Zuko, Lady Katara!" Ling Ling Dao advanced towards the shocked trio of teenagers. "How very lovely to see you again…"

* * *

><p><em><strong>PERSONAL THINGY:<strong>_

Thank you to all of my reviewers! And if you're a reader, go on and type me a quick note below! It's quick and fun and feeds my muse! Thanks for reading!

**Tortoise01Swe: **Here ya go, I hope you liked! Thanks for the review!

**Guest 1:** Ah, well Katara and Zuko will have a lot of obstacles to work their way around before they realize their mutual affections for one another—but it will be entertaining, and I promise you'll enjoy it. And don't worry about not reviewing as soon as you could, my friend, because I would be the ultimate hypocrite if I called you out for that. Thank you for your review!

**Guest 2:** I'm glad you like my story. I'm trying to keep up with updating all of my older stories…my muse just has this terrible ADHD thing where she gets completely addicted to something new and then abandons all other fandoms, but I'm determined to keep her in line and finish my Avatar stories! Thanks so much for reviewing!

**ML7:** Once again, my friend, thank you so much for sticking by me all this time! Yeah, school and teaching is by far the biggest obstacle to writing. I do so much reading and writing as part of work now that it's no longer fun…doesn't that stink? It's so wonderful of you to help teachers in your hometown – I'm sure they thanked you, but I want to thank you too for being supportive of the teaching profession! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and as for Katara and Zuko fixing what's broken…well, let's just say that things are more broken than they seem! It will be an adventure. Thank you ever so much for your readership!


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